


Chess

by morganmuffle



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-07-01
Updated: 2005-06-30
Packaged: 2017-10-02 22:38:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganmuffle/pseuds/morganmuffle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Second Voldemort War and it's aftermath change the lives of the students of Hogwarts forever and in the middle of everything Ron and Padma find an unlikely support in their attempts to keep going. A game of Chess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story started out as a birthday ficlet for **Cynthia Black** but almost immeadiately spiralled out of control!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Second Voldemort War and it's aftermath change the lives of the students of Hogwarts forever and in the middle of everything Ron and Padma find an unlikely support in their attempts to keep going. A game of Chess.

"Pawn to E4"

Ron shouted after Padma and the departing group and was rewarded with a broad grin. That was what he'd been hoping for, she'd been looking far too worried recently.

He knew that there was a lot to be worried about, every day patrols were sent out around the grounds of Hogwarts and every day they brought back the same news of voices in the forest and smoke where no fires were visible.

In the last few weeks, since Hogwarts had found itself besieged, life had been almost impossible. At first they had tried to escape through the Forbidden Forest but it was too dangerous and there were Death Eater patrols regularly. There seemed to be no way out though news got in, most of it bad.

Padma had been a tower of strength amongst the students throughout the dark days. With Hermione off working on jinxes, curses and defences of every type for Harry, Padma and the other Ravenclaws had been called upon to provide tactical knowledge and plans. The teachers had turned to the older students and they had not been disappointed. Instead of a school they now had something approaching an army.

Ron watched as the patrol moved around the corner of the castle. Padma, Pavarti, Tracy Davies, Susan Bones, Neville and Colin Creevy, five members of the DA and Tracy, one of the few remaining Slytherins and a brilliant duellist, this was one patrol he felt fairly confident of though he would not breathe easily until they returned.

As the days of the siege grew longer, he found himself torn between his worries for Harry and his growing friendships with the other students he spent most of his days with. At least, he told himself, I'm doing some good for once.

Back in the Great Hall Ron found a hive of activity. In one corner students were practising curses and counter curses against each other, a large table in the middle of the hall was covered in maps, parchments and books and at the far end there were sofas and chairs for those who were on break. Curled up in a large armchair Ron found Hermione, a huge tome on her lap, fast asleep. Harry was deep in conversation with Tonks but he smiled at Ron as he saw him and Ron relaxed slightly. He never knew what mood Harry might be in.

"Game of chess mate?"

Seamus' grin however remained as open as ever, he managed to keep up the morale of those around him when everything looked black. Bending down and placing a kiss on the sleeping Hermione's cheek Ron moved over to the board Seamus had set up.

"I'll just beat you. I don't know why you bother."

"You never know, after all you're not invincible!"

Seamus laughed and made the first move. Chess was a favourite pastime of many of them these days. Games like Exploding Snap were too violent for nerves shredded by waiting for the next attack.

That's how his games with Padma had started. They had played each other a few times over the last couple of years as the Houses started to talk to each other and then, as the War began in earnest, the two of them had taken to playing games without a board. In the middle of training sessions, whilst planning operations and at almost and time they were close to each other, they would begin games. Amazingly they were evenly matched and the games provided an outlet for both of them, something to think about that didn't have anything to do with the news of death and destruction that came in from the outside world. Last night she'd finally beaten him in an epic battle that had lasted almost a month and now Ron had started the next match off, she'd probably respond when she came in from patrol.

"DEATH EATERS"

The voice broke across the noise of the Hall and for a moment there was total silence before everyone sprang into action. Ron ran across to the table with Seamus and Hermione in swift pursuit. Bending over the Marauders Map was a small crowd but Ron pushed to the front and stared hard at the confusion at the edge of the Forest.

There were the patrol, clustered together as if perhaps back to back, and surrounding them were names that sent chills down Ron's spine. Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, Goyle junior and senior, and Cho Chang. As he watched in horror, Ron saw the names of his friends pushed further into the Forest.

"That bitch"

Harry's voice brought Ron back to his senses, he had taken Cho's betrayal hard and was now shaking with anger. Nobody quite knew why she'd switched sides though there was a rumour that she had been convinced that Harry had in fact murdered Cedric and another that she had simply gone mad with grief.

"Harry?" Ron gripped his friend's arm for a moment.

"We've got to go and get them." Harry shook off Ron's grip and rushed off towards the door.

"Rescue team to the door."

Ron heard his own voice issuing orders without ever really knowing he was giving them. The remaining members of the DA, much smaller than it had once been, rushed towards the spot the patrol had been captured at but in his heart Ron knew they were too late.

They didn't even pause at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the terrors of the Forest were overtaken by the fear of losing more friends. They ran into the darkness until at last Harry called a halt, there was nobody there, no one to be seen and not even a sound.

"They're gone." The deadness in Harry's voice hammered on Ron's fragile nerves and he kicked the nearest tree in frustration. The group looked around in despair, five people could not just disappear.

"We can't give up, they're out there somewhere. We can't let them go." Hannah's voice quavered slightly as she imagined Susan trapped with the Death Eaters.

"There's nothing else to do, we can't follow them, we have no idea where they've gone and we're doing no good here." As always Hermione provided the voice of reason that nobody wanted to hear.

"NO!"

Seamus' voice was raised in a way nobody had heard in a long time. "I will not lose another friend. I will not. We've got to keep going." He started to stride off into the darker parts of the Forest, pushing roughly past Hermione. "We've got to find them. We can't stop now. We can't..."

"Seamus, we have to," Hermione tried to break in. "There's nothing we can do..."

He stopped and turned to face the group, a determined look on his face. "I am not leaving Neville. I won't I won't I won't"

Slowly Seamus's shouts turned to begging and his face trembled, his rage soon spent in the bleakness of their situation. Ron reached the shaking boy first and held him as Seamus broke down in tears. Dean had been killed in an explosion on the Hogwarts Express at the start of the year and ever since Seamus and Neville had become closer and closer, watching Seamus' tears flow and thinking of the missing patrol Ron felt despair wash over him.

Back at the castle efforts were being made to trace the path the Death Eaters had taken before disappearing from the map. Snape was discussing possible destinations with Lupin and Trelawney and every student not involved with the research was up and practising their attack spells. The Rescue team mostly joined these students, desperate to be ready to provide whatever help they could.

Seamus tried to join in but there was a blank look in his eyes that showed everyone he was not concentrating on them but on his missing friend. Ron too was finding it hard to concentrate on Snape's voice. Flashing before his eyes he saw Padma's grin as she left, Parvati's arm linked with Susan, Tracy in the muggle jeans it was still odd to see on her and Colin looking determined and so unlike he had done at eleven with his camera fixed to his face.

"We'll get them back you know," Hermione touched his arm and broke his reverie. "Whatever it takes we'll find what happened to them and make their captors pay."

Ron slipped his arm around Hermione and gave her a brief hug. They had been together for six months now, there was little point in playing games when any day they could be the ones to die.

"Of course we'll find them. Padma and I were in the middle of a game."

Hermione scanned his face worriedly but seemed reassured by the attempt Ron made at a smile and returned to her work.


	2. The War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hogwarts is under siege and the news from the outside world are getting worse day by day. As the students struggle to survive they draw strength from each other.

The days passed in a blur for Ron. He slept only when forced by exhaustion and often when he should have been sleeping he watched the Marauders Map hoping for a glimpse Padma's name, or Colin's or any of them.

On the fourth day after their disappearance Dumbledore received a report that there was a large group of Death Eaters holed up in a chapel at the far edge of the Forbidden Forest. Harry and a large group of students including Ron and Seamus were desperate to go in with everything blazing but they were checked by Hermione and the other information gatherers who knew that would be madness.

Plans were made to lure the Death Eaters out by a show of force nearby. The diversion was left to a group led by Tonks whilst Remus, Harry, Ron, Megan Jones and Hannah Abbott were to move on the Chapel.

When they arrived at the doors of the building they saw that only two had been left on guard, Gregory Goyle and Cho Chang, they were disarmed easily by Remus and Harry. Slowly the small group entered the dark interior of the chapel.

"Everybody be careful, we don't know what we're going to find." Remus' voice was calm but Ron noticed his hand was trembling slightly.

In the entrance there were chairs and a small table littered with empty bottles the Death Eaters had obviously left when disturbed by Tonks' distraction. Taking a deep breath, Ron pushed past the rubbish and into the main body of the building. The room was almost completely black though he could make out shadows and strange shapes in the gloom. As his eyes became accustomed to the dark he was horrified to realise that the dark shape on the floor beside him was in fact a body.

"I've found something!" He called out to the others trying not to let the panic he felt enter his voice. As he looked down at the corpse he was hardly aware of Hannah and Harry rushing to his side.

The body was laid out flat on the floor as if being prepared for burial but there were so many cuts and bruises that Ron could barely make out Colin's features. The boy was obviously dead and Ron felt his head swim as beside him Hannah retched miserably but this was only the start.

A little further in they found Neville, at first they believed he too was dead, his skin was almost shredded and in places there were pieces of bone showing but Hannah found a slight pulse and she and Remus immediately began working to revive him.

"Susan!" As they were focussing on Neville Megan suddenly cried out. Ron stumbled through the darkness to her side, she had found Tracy and Susan leaning against the altar. "They're here! Susan and Tracy!" Megan's voice was decidedly unsteady, "Susan?"

Tracy was clinging to Susan's body and crying softly. They were both alive, just. Tracy was covered with injuries as Neville and Colin had been but Susan looked untouched. She was lying in Tracy's arms staring into the distance as if nothing was there and she barely reacted to the arrival of Megan and Ron.

Leaving Megan with the pair of girls Ron moved on, around the altar and into the small room behind the sanctuary looking for the Patils. He found them easily enough, they were lying in the middle of the floor, their clothes ripped and torn and their bodies covered in scratches. Their bodies were twisted in such a way that Ron knew they must both be dead. Trying to hold back the sickness that threatened to overwhelm him he inched forwards and reached out to shut Parvati's cold, staring eyes.

"Ron..."

The voice was barely more than a whisper and at first Ron though he had imagined it, but no, Padma's eyes flickered as she looked at her rescuer.

"Pawn to E5."

Ron felt his breath catch at her words and then, as Remus entered the room, he came to himself and helped the fainting girl out of the room containing her dead twin.

* * *

In the weeks following the abduction of the patrol the inhabitants of Hogwarts attempted to pull themselves back together. They were scared, that some of their own had been taken so easily and for what seemed like little more than sport. They had lost Colin and Parvati, they had been unable to do a thing as they had been tortured to death. Susan Bones had lost her mind to the pain of Cruciatus and whilst Tracy, Neville and Padma were alive all had been badly injured and were now struggling to recover.

In the distraction organised by Tonks two more had been killed, Eloise Midgen and kindly Professor Sprout had been taken from them. It was hard to go on with such losses before their faces but there was no other choice. Whilst Neville slipped in and out of consciousness Tracy and Padma healed much faster.

Barely a fortnight after her recovery Ron watched as Padma returned to her place at the table amongst her relieved Ravenclaw friends. Unwilling to disturb such a precious moment he quietly dropped a note in her place as he passed by.

_Glad you're home but now you're back, Pawn to F4_

"Sending notes to other girls Ron?" Behind him Ron recognised Harry's voice, though the amusement in it had been lacking for many days. "What would Hermione say?"

"As if I'd dare!" Ron turned to his friend, grateful for the smiling face that greeted him. "As if I'd want to anyway!"

Harry was sitting on one of the big armchairs at the end of the hall so Ron threw himself into another one and grinned at him.

"Actually, I was being sensitive. I didn't want to disturb Padma and her friends."

"You? Sensitive?" Harry laughed. "I think Hermione would die of shock if she knew!"

"Probably. Don't tell her will you," Ron looked half serious as he spoke. "I'd hate for her to know I can be sensitive, she'd be expecting flowers next and for me to actually ask her out."

"No danger of that." Harry threw a cushion straight at Ron's head with amazing accuracy. "Even from the new improved sensitive Ron Weasley that'd be unlikely!"

Ron attempted to look offended at that but the brief respite from seriousness was so welcome he ended up rocking with suppressed laughter instead. Looking around for a way out he grabbed at a nearby magazine, an old issue of Quidditch Weekly with Viktor Krum on the front. Hiding his head in it he tried to ignore Harry's determined teasing but Harry was not to be put off. Getting up from his chair he snatched the magazine out of Ron's hands and looked at the page Ron had been staring at.

"The Wasps Ron?" He threw his hands up in mock amazement. "I never thought I'd see the day, I thought you would be a Cannon's fan to the end!"

"Of course I bloody am." Ron hit Harry with his own cushion. "As if I'd..."

At that moment a loud crash came from the other end of the hall and both boys dropped what they were holding. They were half way across the room before Ernie's voice rang out.

"Don't panic! It was just an accident," he sounded slightly shaken. "Just a stray hex hitting one of the suits of armour. Nobody's hurt."

As Ron and Harry surveyed the scene they both saw he was right. Hannah had a slightly tearful student well in hand and Ernie, with some help, was picking up the pieces of the armour.

"What happened?" Harry's voice had lost any of the amusement it had held a few moments ago.

"Nothing serious," Ernie assured him. "Katy over there just missed her aim with an Expelliarmus and hit the armour. No damage done except possibly to her nerves."

Harry nodded and, after ensuring that Hannah had the little girl under control, moved away. Ron followed and as they stepped outside the doors of the Great Hall he reached for Harry's arm. Both of their faces were completely white from the shock and Harry's eyes had hardened once more.

"You'd have laughed at that a few years back." Ron's voice was quiet and dull.

Harry smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes, and made a harsh laughing sound. "So would you a few years ago. Go back to your Wasps article Ron."

For a moment Ron thought about arguing but he couldn't think of anything to say so he turned back into the Hall leaving Harry with his thoughts.

* * *

They were all more on edge than they had been. Ron would have doubted that was possible a month ago but it was true. He sat and watched the room from a chair in the shadows one afternoon and saw children try to be fighters and yet jump at the slightest sound. There were first years here still, eleven-year-old kids struggling to master the shielding spells that might save their lives one day.

He did his best for them. Ron became known for his storytelling, he would gather the younger ones around him and try to give them some semblance of childhood. Once he saw Hermione watching with a smile in her eyes as he told of their search for the Philosophers Stone, an amusing story now though it had been terrifying at the time.

Looking around the Hall Ron caught sight of Padma by the large table of researchers and tacticians. She had watched her sister die, she had lain with the body for goodness knows how long but she worked on steadily and calmly exuding a powerful influence of normality over all around her. He had no idea how she could but she did.

"Oh Ron," Padma's voice cut across his daydreaming. "If you'll stop cloud gathering for a moment and pass that manuscript I'd be ever so grateful."

Her words were light though the accompanying smile never quite reached her eyes.

"Here you go, though I warn you I think Hermione was using it earlier."

"I'll take the risk." This time there was almost a twinkle in her eye, "oh and Bishop to C5."

Ron laughed and moved off to watch the group working on the _patronus _spell under Dennis Creevy's tutelage. The idea of a Creevy being in charge of teaching students might have been laughable once but Dennis was a DA survivor and worked well with the younger kids. He too managed to keep going even though something inside him seemed to have been lost when they carried Colin's body home. He never laughed anymore, he barely ever smiled, and when he spoke of Voldemort or the Death Eaters a bitterness entered his voice that made him sound much older than his fifteen years.

"Ron, come and give Euan a hand will you."

Ron nodded at Dennis and moved over to the Gryffindor. Within a few minutes he was caught up in correcting wand grips, pronunciation and trying to find happy thoughts for the group. He was just demonstrating his own _Patronus_ when a thought occurred to him.

"Hey, Padma, Knight to F3!"

* * *

In a corner of the Infirmary Neville still lay on a bed as Madame Pomfrey worked on him. His body had been ripped to shreds by the spells of his captors and some of them seemed to have been poisoned to keep them open and bleeding. As well as that he had been subjected to _Cruciatus_ and whilst he was not broken as poor Susan had been his mind was still trying to recover.

Most days Seamus could be found by Neville's bed, talking to him, trying to bring him back to the world. Ron, and Neville's other friends, visited as often as possible but Seamus barely ever left. Slowly, day by day, Neville began to come back. His physical wounds were almost all healed except the nerves in his right leg which Madame Pomfrey was unable to repair and then Neville started to recognise those around him.

The day he first said Seamus' name that young man came running into the Great Hall shouting the news at the top of his voice and bringing much needed good news to them all. He grabbed Padma and spun her round.

"He knows me, he saw me, he's back."

Nobody could escape the infectious joy that spilled over from Seamus' grin, even Dennis smiled slightly. As Seamus finally started to calm down, and was led away by a group of fifth years, Padma sat down hard on a bench at the side of the room.

"It's great news isn't it?" Ron sat himself down beside her.

"It is. It really is. I just can't quite..."

Padma shook herself hard as if trying to rid herself of an evil thought but she recovered herself and smiled at Ron.

"Pawn to D6."

Ron looked carefully at Padma and saw the tears welling in her eyes. Suddenly he realised the flip side of Neville's recovery, the broken body of Padma's own sister who would never wake again. He wished there was something he could say to ease her pain but knew that there wasn't. He put his hand over hers and squeezed gently but no words came.

As they sat there, Hermione came over to them and seeing Padma's face put her arms around the other girl holding her tightly. Knowing he was not needed here, what could he do after all, Ron got up to leave. As he walked away he looked back to see Padma watching him from Hermione's shoulder and, as he still could not find the right words, he called to her,

"Knight to C3."

* * *

They were back to the waiting game again. News came in from the outside world of attacks. Sometimes they were on familiar names. Every few days another student would hear of the death of their mother or father or a sibling. The Ministry still insisted there was no need to panic and said that Hogwarts would soon be liberated. With news flowing in and out it sometimes felt as if they were free but then another noise would be heard from the Forest or a body would be found on the doorstep and they would remember how trapped they were.

Harry paced around the castle like a trapped lion. Sometimes Ron or Hermione would walk with him and try to make him talk but they soon learned that the pacing was Harry's only way of dealing with what was happening, just as Hermione coped by burying herself in her books.

For Ron though neither of these methods worked. His stories gave him a chance to escape sometimes and so did games of chess against Seamus but it was his game against Padma that was able to make him smile. In response to a moment of despair in Ron's eyes she had given him,

"Knight to F6."

When she had worked herself into exhaustion and frustration he recalled her to her surroundings with,

"Bishop to C3."

And when Harry finally told them all of the Prophecy and Ron was left without a thread of hope to cling to that there was a happy ending ahead she had touched his cheek and offered,

"Knight to C6."

* * *

Most of the students slept in the Hufflepuff rooms these days, they were closest to the Great Hall and nobody was willing to go too far. More often than not, however, Ron and many of the others would fall asleep in one of the large chairs in the Hall itself. One night he awoke to the soft sound of sobbing from nearby. He untangled himself from Hermione who had fallen asleep next to him and crept over to where the noise seemed to be coming from.

"Hello... is anyone there?" As he came closer he saw the shape of the crying girl uncurl and look up at him, "Padma?"

"S..Sorry. Shouldn't have woken..." She gulped hard trying to stop the tears and then put her head between her hands again.

"Hey...shhh... It's ok..."

Ron's voice was hesitant as was the hand that he reached out to pat her back. She looked up at him then and the pain in her eyes stunned him.

"She's not here."

The words were choked out, as if she had to force them from herself. Seeing Padma, the girl who was normally so calm and collected, seeing her in this much pain amazed Ron. Of course he knew she mourned her twin but she'd never really spoken of it to him before and he had no idea what to say.

"I can't...without her... I can't go on. I can't live without her. I'm not a person without her."

She was shaking violently now and Ron was frightened she would make herself ill. He looked around for help but everyone was asleep except those on duty and they were needed elsewhere. He sent a wistful glance over to where Hermione lay and then took a deep breath.

"You are a person. You're a whole, wonderful, brilliant witch, just like Parvati was."

Her breath caught and Ron wondered if he had said the wrong thing but she swallowed hard and tried to smile.

"She was, she was so bright and without her everything looks darker," even in the darkness Ron could see the dullness in her eyes as she spoke, "and I miss her so much."

"I know. I know you do. I wish I could bring her back for you but she's safe now and you've got to keep going because we need you. We need Padma."

She looked at him slightly disbelievingly but he nodded and smiled.

"We need your tactical skills and we need you to translate Hermione and we need you to look after the Ravenclaws and I need you." He hesitated, uncertain that this was right but knowing he had to say something, "I need you to tell me how you'll respond to Pawn to D3."

She took a deep breath and her whole body relaxed.

"I'll think about that."

"You do that, but now you have to sleep."

As he said the last sentence Ron drew her head down into his lap and stroked her hair gently. He continued, staring into the darkness, until long after she had fallen asleep. It was so unfair. They were supposed to be children, still at school, worrying about exams and essays and the next Quidditch match not grieving for their siblings and preparing for battle.

As his thoughts drifted across the faces of his friends, who had suffered so much he tried to stop himself remembering the prophecy. That was the most unfair thing of all, to be murdered or a murderer, that was all the choice left to Harry and there was nothing Ron could do about it however much he wished it.

There wasn't much he could do for any of them really. He couldn't bring back Parvati or Dean, he couldn't wake Susan from her stupor and he couldn't save his sister from this waking nightmare. All he could do was be there and as he looked down at Padma's sleeping form he realised that maybe, for now, that was enough.

The next morning he was shaken gently awake by Hermione with a cup of coffee.

"Padma says to tell you Bishop to G4."

* * *

Later that day Ron found Hermione and Padma pouring over a text on the uses of the _Confundus_ charm in warfare. Their heads were close together and their muttered comments made no sense to him at all. The new charms and jinxes that had been developed by the students over the last months were ingenious. They took common roots and developed them, they combined jinxes to create strange hybrids and some even braved Snape's domain to work on new potions for bombs or poisons. This was all unfamiliar territory for Ron. He could work on tactics and use texts for pure research but he had no head for developing new spells, his mind just wasn't wired that way. He was jerked from a daydream in which they were back in the library researching for one of Hermione's "ideas" like in the old days by the sound of giggles.

"Daydreaming again Ron, are you ever on this planet with the rest of us?"

Hermione poked him gently in the side as she spoke. Rasing his eyebrows and acting mightily put out Ron made to stomp off when Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him in for a kiss.

"That woke him up."

Padma giggled in a manner quite unlike the state she'd been in last night as Hermione grinned broadly. Ron decided it was better to give in graciously and kissed his girlfriend again before turning to Padma and sticking his tongue out.

"What do you say to Knight to A4 Missy?"

She never got to answer though as at that moment Dumbledore arrived looking for their progress report.

Their timing was perfect, Ron could see that, just as reports from the outside world showed that people were learning to cope with the constant Death Eater presence and just as those trapped at Hogwarts felt they were making progress. Their guard was down and the attack took everyone by surprise. Ron knew something was wrong as soon as he saw Tonks' face.

The Auror had been trapped in the castle with the rest of them as she had been visiting Dumbledore at the start of the siege. Secretly Ron was glad of her presence though he knew better than to mention it to her.

"I should be there. I should bloody well be there."

Tonks threw herself into a chair and her hair changed to a lurid shade of red, an obvious sign of her frustration.

"They've attacked Gringotts," she addressed the room at large. "Dumbledore sensed the power surge as the security measures kicked in but something's stopped them."

She clenched her fists tightly and took a deep breath to try and regain control but Ron had stopped paying attention. Gringotts. That meant Bill was in danger, and if Diagon Alley was under attack hundreds of witches and wizards could be there too.

Around the room the realisation of just how devastating an attack in the centre of Diagon Alley could be began to show on the faces of the students. Those with relatives how lived or worked there gathered around the door waiting for further news from Professor Dumbledore, hoping against hope that it was all a mistake.

Ron felt Ginny's hand slip into his own and he squeezed tightly. For what seemed like eternity the Great Hall was quiet, any conversations were muttered and nobody could escape the tense atmosphere. Gradually people went back to their activities but the fear and the tension remained, as Ron stared blankly at the report he was reading from yesterdays patrols Padma looked at him sadly.

"Pawn to F4, takes your pawn."

Her voice was quiet and dull and Ron felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. It was cheap symbolism but that's all any of them were in this war, pawns, trapped in a situation they could not escape just waiting to be captured. A commotion at the end of the Hall caught his attention and he looked up in time to see Dumbledore entre the Hall.

"Diagon Alley has fallen." The Headmaster's tone was pained but determined. "At eleven o'clock Death Eaters attacked from inside Gringotts Bank with the support of a small group of Goblins. Most of the Goblins and Gringotts human staff retaliated but soon the fighting spread to Diagon Alley itself and more Death Eaters arrived from Knockturn Alley. As soon as I have details of the dead from my sources I shall let you know. Many were killed, nobody left the bank and it is believed that all those inside were slaughtered."

There was silence for a moment and then a wail went up from Sandra Cooke, a fourth year whose Mother worked in the bank. At that noise something in the Hall broke and the children, still afraid for their families, fell to speaking all at once, asking questions they did not want answered.

In the middle of the crowd Ginny clung on to Ron as if afraid of drowning. He buried his head in her hair and whispered reassurances that he knew meant nothing. Bill was dead. Their big brother, the invulnerable curse breaker, the tireless warrior, was dead.

The list of dead from the Battle for Diagon Alley was long. There were few at the school other than the Muggleborns who did not know at least one of the victims. The battle marked a watershed in the war, from then on barely a day went passed without news of an attack on some magical community or an innocent muggle family.

There was little time to think or talk outside of the preparations that were being made for an attack on the forces surrounding the castle. In a rare moment of calm Padma held Ron's arm for a moment as if wishing to imbue him with her understanding of the pain of losing a sibling but she had no words and he had few words for her.

"Thank you. I'm alright, I'll keep going." Ron looked at her with a wry smile, "Knight to C4 there goes your Bishop."

She looked away sadly and moved off to help compile an up-to-date list of dead from the latest report Dumbledore had received. News had started to arrive of battles raging across Europe. They read the names of children from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang who had been killed in battles at their schools.

* * *

The attack on Hogsmeade was the last in a long string of battles that exhausted the morale of the students. They were so close now, not just their invisible captors but the marauding bands of Death Eaters attacking across the country. Even Seamus could not find a smile to give when the news of those killed came in. Madame Rosmerta had been tortured in her pub, Mr Honeyduke had been killed and few had escaped.

The Weasley twins had rescued a few using an emergency route they had planned as soon as their new shop opened but in the rush to get the refugees out Fred had been left to defend their rear and was now lying in a hospital bed on the brink of death. Ron could not let himself think of Fred lying there. Ginny spoke only of Percy's safety, of the fact that there was no news of Charlie and of their parents. Nether of them could imagine one of the twins without the other or either of them incapacitated in hospital.

Sometimes Ron saw that Padma wanted to speak but he wouldn't let he. She reminded him of her dead twin and of the possibility of Fred's death and he couldn't bear that.

* * *

Amongst the tragedy there were moments of victory. The news that Bellatrix Lestrange had been killed whilst attacking a magical community in Paris was received with a vindictive glee by Remus, Tonks and Harry.

That night somebody found a stash of fire whisky and Ron found himself in a group mourning Sirius and the other casualties of the war in an impromptu wake. There were so many names that he no longer remembered them as people. He remembered Bill though and Fred, however hard he tried not to. He remembered Colin and Parvati. Dean. Sirius. He remembered that Luna was now an orphan and that Mandy Brocklehurst had tried to slit her wrists when news had come in that her whole family had been killed.

* * *

Ron's whole world seemed to be spiralling into darkness in those awful days. Hermione and Harry had their own troubles, Ginny had her own friends, and alone he couldn't cope with the crushing fear that threatened to engulf him. He was all too aware that even if he made it out alive he had lost one brother and in all likelihood would lose more before the end. The days passed and there was no news of Fred's condition. When he couldn't distract himself Ron clung to the fact that his name hadn't yet appeared in the lists of the dead. Mostly he just tried to forget he'd ever had brother's or even that there was a world outside the school.

"You'll have to look at me eventually."

Late one night, as he sat trying to read another book on tactics, Padma cornered him.

"You can't pretend I don't exist, you can't pretend he doesn't exist."

Ron didn't look up. He hadn't been consciously ignoring Padma but he wasn't going to talk about Fred because that would have meant admitting how scared he was.

"Ignoring me isn't going to change the fact that he's in danger." Padma just kept pushing and Ron snapped.

"I know! I bloody well know." Ron turned away angrily, as if he could forget his brother.

"He's strong, stronger than Parvati ever was, if there's a chance then he'll survive. "Ignoring the angry tone Padma kept talking. "I know it."

Ron felt his head spinning at her words, she gave him hope but he couldn't quite believe her.

"There's still a chance. Don't give up on him now. Don't give up on us. This isn't over." She touched his arm lightly but he couldn't speak. He didn't need to, she could see it all in his eyes.

"You need to sleep Ron. Go. Find a bed, you're no good half dead with your head miles away from here. You need to be here, all here."

She pulled him into a quick embrace and then pointed to the sofa where Hermione was already curled up and pushed him towards her, whispering as he left.

"Pawn to C5 takes Knight."

* * *

They all knew that Hogsmeade marked the start of the countdown to the end. Nobody ever said it, noone could explain why it was so but they all knew it. None were more aware of how bad things were than Ron and Hermione; Harry's dreams were getting worse.

He had managed his nightmares for the last two years, learning to cope with the pain and the horrific images and providing useful information for the Order, especially once he had learner the basics of Occlumency so that he could protect himself.

In the weeks leading up to the Hogsmeade battle however the dreams had been getting worse, more vivid and yet less detailed. Night after night he would wake in agony, screaming in pain with little knowledge of what he had dreamed except an ever growing sense of dread. He slept alone, in the Room of Requirement usually, far away from prying eyes. Ron and Hermione tried to spend as much time with him as possible but their own fears and exhaustion prevented them from staying by his side all the time.

A week after the attack the Trio found themselves together in the Room of Requirement, alone for once. With the comforting presence of the two people who knew him best in the world Harry soon fell asleep. Sitting on cushions beside the bed Ron cradled Hermione in his arms as they watched Harry sleep. Holding Hermione, Ron found a strength and a calm he didn't know he possessed. The last year had forced them all to grow up far too fast but they'd never outgrown the friendship that had existed from their first term together. For all their bickering and teasing he and Hermione needed each other and they both needed Harry.

"He looks so peaceful." Ron could hear the smile in Hermione's voice and he responded in kind.

"I wish he always looked so calm. I'll stay by his side no matter what but I wish I could give him this more often."

Stroking Hermione's hair Ron found himself drifting into a state of contentment he had thought long forgotten.

"It's coming you know," Hermione's eyes were fixed on their sleeping friend. "The end, it's getting closer every day and..."

Her voice trailed off and she turned her head into Ron's chest, hiding from the world.

"And we'll face it together. All three of us. He won't be alone in this." Ron tried to sound firm but he knew that his voice wavered.

None of them knew exactly what was to come and though the Trio had enormous strength to draw on they knew it would come down to Harry in the end. As they lay together, grasping these few moments of peace Harry began to toss and turn in his sleep. Slowly his mutterings turned to screams and Hermione and Ron rushed to his side. Beyond stroking his hair and speaking reassuring words there was little they could do for him and knowing that they fought the helplessness they felt.

* * *

In the end the Final Battle passed in a blur for Ron. For weeks they have been training an army of children, learning new curses, manufacturing new weapons, and then suddenly it was time. Looking across the Hall on the evening they had decided to make their final stand Ron found himself confronted with the truth that however well prepared they were he was still about to go into battle against an enemy that was stronger, more ruthless, and much more prepared for the reality of war than they were. They were children fighting adults and no amount of preparation had could change that.

Harry was quietly determined, Hermione was giving last minute orders, Padma was checking maps for the last time and Seamus was doing his best to rouse the frightened kids whilst hiding his own fear.

In the first clashes the determination of the ragtag Hogwarts army made some head way. They pushed outwards fighting an enemy who weren't quite ready and weren't expecting children to be so violent.

As the Death Eaters pulled themselves together however the fighting became fiercer. Ron cast his first _Avada Kedavra_ barely a few minutes into the fight and from that moment on events merged into one as he struggled to keep himself close to Harry knowing that Hermione was doing the same.

Then it had happened. The flash of red light slashed straight across Hermione's stomach and she stumbled. The whole world seemed to shift into slow motion and Ron watched as Hermione fell unconscious into the arms of Padma who was just behind, as he moved towards her side there was a sudden crack of thunder and in the midst of the battle Lord Voldemort appeared.

Torn between Hermione and Harry, Ron felt every second as if it were a lifetime. Padma waved him on towards Harry, dragging the limp body of Hermione backwards and as Ron turned to his best friend he saw the flash of green light from Voldemort's wand meet a red glow that seemed to emanating from Harry himself. Ron ran towards the pair, pushing himself beyond all physical limits in his attempt to get between Harry and that awful green light but he was too slow and as his legs gave way and he sank to the ground a blinding silver flash engulfed the whole battle field and then there was darkness.


	3. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The War is over and it's time to rebuild and move on but not everyone is ready or able to.

"I think he's coming to."

Ron blinked slowly as his vision cleared to reveal the owner of the soft voice above him. Bending over him was Padma, covered in blood but seemingly whole and healthy. He looked around in confusion seeing faces he didn't recognise and walls so white and clean they couldn't possibly be Hogwarts.

"You're in St Mungo's Ron. You're safe here. We won."

The smile on Padma's face didn't quite reach her eyes and Ron felt there was much she was hiding but he was so weary he couldn't argue. As the closest Mediwitch arrived to check him over he drifted into sleep again.

When he awoke again it was night and Padma was asleep in a chair beside him. In the next bed along Ron recognised the profile of Seamus with a sigh of relief.

"Back amongst the living are we?" With a stifled cry Ron turned his head to see a tired looking Charlie at his other side. "We thought you were out for the count Sleeping Beauty."

The dark ward was full of beds with people lying in them and every chair in the room also seemed to have an occupant.

"Who... Did... What..."

Ron hardly knew what he wanted to know first, they'd won that much he knew, but at what cost. Were these the only survivors? Where then was Hermione? What had that silver light been? And most painfully of all had he failed Harry?

"Shhh. Calm down Ron. I'll tell you all you need to know if you'll promise to sleep again. You need to rest, I'm not losing another Brother."

"Another...?" Ron's voice was hesitant, afraid of this very first answer.

"No. We haven't lost anymore. Fred's still holding on and though Perce was injured in that last Battle he too is alive. We've been lucky really." Charlie's eyes belied the statement as he slowly checked over Ron's body for wounds.

"Many were lost. I don't know who you'd know, Remus, McGonagall, Luna Lovegood so many names but you'll hear them soon enough. There were survivors though, miraculous survivors. Hermione is being watched carefully but thanks to this witch's care," Charlie's motioned towards Padma, "they think she'll pull through. There was bad damage to her nervous system and her insides were shredded but she's in the best possible place."

Ron wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, she was alright, he had watched her cut down but she was going to be alright. Something in Charlie's eyes told him that this was not the end though.

"Go on... what else?"

Charlie looked uncertain for a moment, "I'm not sure I should. You're supposed to be resting and..."

"And I'm not going to rest till I know!" Ron jumped in and Charlie took a deep breath and continued in a low voice.

"I don't know what you remember of the end. No-one is exactly sure what happened. Dumbledore knows I think, but he isn't telling. He's old Ron. I've never seen him look so frail as when they... I'm getting ahead of myself. You were there. You saw Harry facing Voldemort I suppose, he should have died again but there was some power, some shield that Harry invoked that absorbed the killing curse. It absorbed all the power Voldemort threw at him until there was nothing but a shell and then it threw it all back. He's dead. Voldemort is finally destroyed but... Oh Ron..." Charlie's voice faltered and Ron knew from his eyes what came next.

"Harry..."

"He's gone. The power surge killed him. We found his body lying close to you, he looked so peaceful, there was nothing we could do."

Tears spilled down Ron's cheeks, he had known in the back of his mind that this could happen but he had never wanted to believe it. Charlie reached out and held his little brother in his arms, rocking him to sleep as if he were a baby, but Ron's mind was whirling with the idea of a world without Harry in it.

* * *

The funeral was as painful as he had expected. Hermione had been recovering and was there in a wheelchair, as was Fred though that was likely to be permanent. Seamus leant heavily on Neville as he refused to use crutches and Ginny, hand in hand with Dennis Creevy, was surrounded by a group of friends who seemed to want to support her without quite knowing how.

Charlie had been right, he did look peaceful. He had done what he had been born to do and the world rejoiced. Few remembered to mourn the life that had been stolen from him, the carefree childhood he had barely known, the beginnings of an adult life cut off before it truly started. Ron felt despair as he had never felt before. What was the point of life when it could be taken away so easily from someone as good as Harry? He had much to live for, Hermione, Ginny, his whole family, but he didn't want to go on. He had lost sight of any point to life.

At the wake after the ceremony he held Hermione's hand tightly as they both listened to the empty words of mourners who didn't understand they had lost their best friend. Hermione held up so well that Ron found himself trying to be worthy of her. A squeeze of her hand reminded him however that she at least understood and when Padma walked passed and smiled slightly he remembered their game, unfinished business.

"Should I tell you that I'm sorry?"

The pain in her voice said more than her words could have done but he had no words to answer her. He simply shook his head and swallowed hard to avoid the tears he could feel welling up again.

"We know," Hermione smiled slightly at Padma. "Thank you for coming here as Harry's friend. Ron and I appreciate you being here far more than all those Ministry names."

She hugged Padma tightly, the women had become close over war councils and now looked for comfort in familiarity. Finally Ron found his tongue.

"She's right, we're glad you're here. I wanted to tell you that it's not over. This isn't the end, only another beginning, a continuation even perhaps."

Hermione looked blank at Ron's words but a spark in Padma's eyes showed she understood.

"Bishop to F4, I've taken your pawn."

Ron smiled and turned to greet the next person as Padma moved away slowly, marvelling at Ron's strength.

* * *

If the days after the Final Battle had been painful and drawn out, after Harry's funeral everything seemed to speed up. Ron felt as if life was moving twice as fast as usual and he was being dragged along by tide he couldn't resist. Many of the survivors from Hogwarts and Hogsmeade came together to start rebuilding the ruins of the village. It was hard work, even with wands, and Ron revelled in the physical exhaustion he felt at the end of each day.

Gradually, as the world attempted to return to normal, more and more of the workers left for other jobs but not Ron. Six months after Harry's funeral Ron founded a Building Company with money that had been left to him and Hermione by Harry. There was plenty of work across the country as all of the major magical settlements had sustained major damage. He enjoyed his work, he felt this was something he could do well and he was as close to content as he could be.

Life wasn't perfect, they'd lost too much for that, but it was good. Ron and Hermione lived in a flat in muggle London, built by Ron's company to look like any other London flat from the outside but with all the mod cons the wizarding world could provide.

They had to live in London so that Hermione was close to the Ministry where she now worked. Soon after the Final Battle she had been recruited to help process the trials of those Death Eaters who had survived. The task was seemingly endless as they had to keep searching for those who might have escaped the net and she worked long hours.

Hermione's health was the largest obstacle to Ron's happiness. Watching the woman he loved come home every evening, exhausted, and collapse cut him deeply. He wanted to protect her, to make everything alright again, but there was nothing he could say or do to help her. Physically her body had taken a huge battering from the spell that cut her down, and mentally she had not moved on from those early days when the losses were so new and fresh. No amount of Ron's pleadings could make her take a break and he was afraid she would make herself seriously ill before she would stop.

Harry's name was rarely mentioned though his picture sat on their mantlepiece.

* * *

It was the policy of Weasley Constructions to provide a two-month check on all their properties to make sure all the charms were working correctly and the owners were happy with their houses. Ron often carried out these checks himself, he enjoyed seeing the results of his hard work and he enjoyed seeing people living normal lives, almost as there had never been a war.

Once Hogsmeade had been brought back to its original state, or as close to that as was possible, Weasley Constructions had built several blocks of flats for young wizards and witches on the outskirts of the village and they had been a great success. Visiting them on his round Ron met many of the survivors from his year as well as others who had been slightly older.

Lee Jordan lived there and he welcomed Ron in eagerly and they spent a happy hour discussing the latest exploits of the newly reformed Chudley Cannons.

Megan Jones on the other hand was not glad to see him, she had lost many friends in the War and Ron's presence seemed to remind her of them. He carried out his inspection as quickly as possible though as he left she took his hand and squeezed it, tears in her eyes.

"Thank you. For... for..."

"It's ok. I hope you'll be happy here Megan."

She brushed the tears from her eyes and nodded slightly. "And you, I hope you'll be happy Ron, you deserve it."

"We all do."

Their eyes held for a moment before Ron turned to the door and left, he wouldn't return to see Megan again as he might do with Lee. They had been allies, and friends, before but now there was no war and they had to go on.

The last address on his list was in fact a small house on the edge of Hogsmeade that had been renovated rather than one of the flats. As Ron approached he heard music drifting through an open window. He paused, with his hand raised to knock, as the music brought a memory flooding back.

_The Gryffindor common room one summer evening when exams were done. Parvati dancing in the middle of the floor, her hair wild and flowing down her shoulders, her eyes sparkling bright. She'd brought in a record of her parents and they'd charmed it to play. As she swirled around with Lavender she sang at the top of her voice._

With a jerk Ron came back to reality, suddenly he knew whose house this was and he knocked tentatively on the door. Under his breath, and quite unconsciously, he sang along to the song. _Build me up, buttercup baby..._

"Ron?"

Padma opened the door and stared in surprise at the man in front of her. Though she'd know it was Ron's company who built her house she didn't realise he was involved with the Hogsmeade projects still.

"Hello Padma, can I come in."

"Of course." She looked slightly embarrassed and Ron thought there was a trace of redness around her eyes as she had been crying. She let him into the small living room and switched off the music. "Do you need to see the papers for the house?"

There was an awkwardness between them that Ron couldn't remember ever having existed before, except for perhaps at that disastrous Yule Ball. Just as he had at Megan's, he rushed his checks, unwilling to stay in such a strange atmosphere with someone who had once been so close. This time though there was no moment at the door. He finished his investigation and left feeling completely bereft.

It wasn't until he was twenty metres down the road that he heard her voice calling to him.

"Ron. Ron. I'm sorry. Ron."

He turned back to see her running towards him.

"Ron. I wanted to say... I mean... I was going to..." She stammered to a stop.

"Padma..." His voice was soft and questioning.

"I wanted to say, Knight to H5."

Their eyes met, the tension vanished and with a brief smile and a hug Ron set on his way again a much happier man.

* * *

"I saw Padma yesterday." Ron placed a mug of tea on the desk next to Hermione and cradled his own in his hands. "She seems well enough, considering everything anyway."

He leaned against the wall in the small room they'd both come to think of as Hermione's study and watched her scribbling furiously as if they were still at school and she was working on an essay due any moment.

"Hermione...?"

"What?" She snapped and turned to face him, knocking the mug with her arm.

As it fell Ron caught it with a word, working in constructions had taught him a lot of spells to catch falling objects. Hermione picked it out of the air.

"Sorry," she sighed heavily and took a mouthful of the sweet tea. "I didn't hear you come in and I've got to get these done before Crabbe's trial comes up."

She put the mug down again and turned back to her notes with an apologetic smile. Ron sighed and turned to leave but as almost as soon as he had stepped through the doorway he turned back and crouched down next to her.

Placing his tea carefully on the desk far away from Hermione's notes he took her arm. She stopped writing and looked down at him.

"What?" This time her tone was gentler but she still looked annoyed, "I really do need to get these done."

"I know but..." Ron paused and took a deep breath. "You need to take a break Hermione. No, don't stop me," he squeezed her arm to try and hold back the argument he could see springing to her lips. "I know they've got to get done but I'm not asking you to stop altogether just have a five minute tea break. You've been working all day and I know you'll work all of tomorrow but it's the weekend and you've got to have at least a little time for yourself or you'll collapse and anyway you can't be working efficiently."

The last was his vain attempt at giving her a reason to stop that fitted with her work. She shook her head but didn't try to remove his hand from her arm.

"I can't take a break, you know that, I've got to make sure this paperwork is all right or he might get away and we've got to catch them all Ron, every last one!"

She looked so pleading then that he almost gave in and left her but he knew that he couldn't or she'd hurt herself.

"Just five minutes," he stood and tugged gently on her arm. "Come and sit with me and drink your tea and talk about something else. I was just saying I saw Padma yesterday and she seems to be alright but not great, you must see her more often though. I'm worried about her."

The concern was so obvious in his face that Hermione allowed herself to be led into the living room. Though she wouldn't allow herself breaks she was happy to stop to talk about her friends.

If asked she would have denied any knowledge that most of Ron's worries were for her.

"Of course she's taken it hard, I think she's doing better know though," she smiled slightly. "Last week I even saw her looking at one of Lavender's articles in Witch Weekly and she hasn't done that since..."

Hermione trailed off into silence and Ron tried to distract her.

"You must see her quite a bit, both working at the Ministry."

"Well, I suppose I see her fairly often. We're in different departments of course and I'm very busy but sometimes she comes in and shares a sandwich with me when I'm working through lunch."

"You work through lunch?" Ron didn't like the sound of that at all. At least when she was at home he could make her eat properly.

"Not all the time, just when I'm particularly busy."

"You always used to be so keen on proper meals, outside of your House Elf thing of course." Ron smiled at the memory, trying to drag her mind away from work for a moment, "On match days you always tried to make Ha..."

He stopped suddenly as he realised what he had been about to say and there was an awkward silence. Both of their gazes strayed to the picture on the mantlepiece and Ron cursed himself as Hermione got up.

"I'd better get back to work then," she smiled faintly and leant down to kiss him on the cheek. "Thanks for the tea."

"That's alright." Ron's tone was resigned, he knew there was no point in arguing with her now. "I'm just going to apparate over to see Mum..."

"That's nice, give her my love."

He could hear that her mind was already elsewhere and so with a sinking heart he left the flat.

* * *

A few weeks later Ron found himself sitting, slightly nervously, in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Fred and George reopened their Hogsmeade shop as soon as the building was safe and were now doing a roaring trade. They hoped one day to have a premises in Diagon Alley too but the damage there had been terrible and it was going to take a very long time before all the curses and jinxes were dismantled and the place was rebuilt.

Molly hadn't been happy when the shop reopened. She wanted to keep her family close by and she couldn't quite understand why they wanted to return to the place Fred had been crippled in. WWW was a popular shop from the start, everyone remembered them from before and laughs were very much needed in a bleak world.

Ron's company had helped refitting the shop with it's extra wide aisles and ramps for Fred's wheelchair. Unfortunately for him his generosity in doing so had not resulted in him becoming immune to the Twins using him as a guinea pig as he had briefly hoped. Still, whenever he was in Hogsmeade Ron visited to catch up on the latest gossip. Somehow the Twins always seemed to know the latest.

"You know Neville's been asked to take over Sprout's job next year."

"Really? I thought they'd already replaced her, who's teaching Herbology this year?"

Ron's surprise showed clearly, how _did_ George know before him. He'd only been talking to Seamus the day before and he'd not mentioned anything though he must have known.

"Not sure, one of the temporaries they brought in but she's no good apparently."

"What's even better is that it was Snape who had to ask him, can you imagine it?"

Fred and George both collapsed in giggles and Ron's eyebrows flew upwards towards his forehead.

"Snape had to go and ask Neville to teach at Hogwarts? He must have HATED that. Big nosed git."

"I bet McGonagall had a good laugh at that, she's got a sense of humour almost as wicked as Dumbledore's."

The three sobered up slightly at that. Dumbledore had retired as soon as he could and nobody had seen him since. He had said he was old and tired and then just left leaving McGonagall to run the school with Snape as her deputy.

"From what I heard Snape nearly combusted from sheer annoyance when he heard, or at least that's what Penny says." A female voice broke into their conversation.

"Padma, dearest."

"What brings you to our fine establishment?"

"Come to stock up on products for devilment."

"Remember our offer."

"Any you use on our dear brother..."

"... are half price."

Padma laughed at the twins double act and then laughed harder at Ron's surprise.

"I come in here whenever I can, it's a nice relief after a day at the ministry. I will not do anything to Percy you wretches, your brother is a gentleman and what is more Penny would kill me."

Percy and Penelope had been married in a simple ceremony as soon as was possible after the War and now they lived in Hogsmeade near the central Floo point. Percy still worked in the Ministry but Penelope was now teaching Arithmancy at Hogwarts.

"I hear there's to be another Weasley wedding before long."

Ron nodded, this time he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Not till they've finished school obviously but they've been engaged for a few weeks. It seems awfully young but..."

Even the twins looked almost subdued for a moment. Dennis Creevy might be still at school still but grief had made him and Ginny much older than their years and nobody would argue against them grabbing what happiness they could.

"Mum's excited, there's going to be a huge celebration this time."

"No ducking out like Percy or Fred here, or you Ron." There was an evil glint in George's eye and Ron remembered the fuss there had been when Ron and Hermione had announced that they weren't going to marry, it didn't feel right without Harry there.

"Well you better be on your best behaviour then or there'll be hell to pay."

Surprisingly the twins didn't look at all put out by this threat. Ron shook his head at them and turned to leave.

"I'd better go or Hermione'll get home before me."

He knew better than to hug or shake hands with his brothers, that would have been a dangerous move, but he kissed Padma on the cheek.

"I'm pretty busy at the moment but lets try and keep in touch. I don't want to give you too long to think about Bishop to E3."

* * *

In fact it was more than three months before Ron saw Padma again.

The last great building project left after the War was the reconstruction of Diagon Alley. The devastation created by the Death Eaters had been enormous. Long before rebuilding could begin teams of Curse Breakers had to scour every corner looking for traps that were left behind.

After that the whole of Gringotts had to be searched. It had taken months for all the bodies to be recovered from the massive vaults of the Bank, many had taken refuge in the depths but none had survived.

The Goblins had suffered even worse losses than the humans so that they were forced to accept wizarding help in the clean up operation, unthinkable before but now inevitable.

Eventually though it was done, the houses and the shops were rebuilt, the streets repaved and almost a year after it had been begun the work was finished.

The Grand Reopening of Diagon Alley was a huge event in the wizarding calendars, a day of celebration finally after so much mourning. There were flags and streamers everywhere and people crowded into the street to hear the speeches from Ministry wizards and those who had helped in the reconstruction project.

Ron attended with Hermione by his side but neither of them were caught up in the joyous mood. Hermione was tired, exhausted from her ongoing work and still suffering the after effects of the curse that had cut her down. Ron was afraid for her but knew there was little he could do.

Both of them missed Harry. It felt wrong to be there in that street without him by their side. Ron half expected to see him come shooting out of a shop or round a corner smiling and covered in dust as if he'd just missed the Floo stop.

"We should get to the front, I think your Dad's about to speak." Hermione pulled Ron towards the thickest part of the crowd as Arthur Weasley, Minister of Magic, climbed onto the temporary stage for the ribbon cutting. His speech was brief and to the point, remembering those lost but focussing on a brighter future.

"And so, Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you the jewel in wizarding London's crown once more, Diagon Alley."

The cheers of the crowd travelled for miles, causing much confusion amongst the Muggle world, but nobody cared. As Arthur cut the ceremonial ribbon the crowds surged into the brand new shops and cafes. Hermione and Ron stood by the stage watching.

"I could almost believe..." Ron sighed watching the happy faces of the crowd. "It's like before. I could almost believe it never happened."

Hermione squeezed his arm and nodded.

"Almost."

Once more the spectre of Harry stood before them, they had been a Trio and without him nothing could be quite right again.

"Come on Hermione, lets go find that Quidditch shop, or would you prefer Flourish and Botts? He'd think we were mad just standing here."

"Oh Ron, you're quite right I'm sure, but I have to work today, I told you."

"Hermione no. One day off won't kill you."

Ron's eyes begged her to stay but she shook her head, kissed him on the cheek and walked away.

However strange it was Ron found it hard to remain melancholy as he was swept away by friends. Seamus and Neville dragged him into Quality Quidditch where they found Ginny marvelling at the newest Nimbus broom. After that Ron found himself dragged from pillar to post by his old roommates who were obviously determined to make him enjoy himself.

Eventually, pleading tiredness he broke away and found a quiet bench to sit on. He wasn't alone for long however.

"Is this seat taken?"

Ron looked up to see Padma smiling down at him.

"No, go ahead, if you've found your way out of the throng you are quite welcome to your prize of a moments peace."

She laughed. "That's not very exciting, I always thought of you as someone who liked to be in the centre of things."

"Maybe once," Ron smiled ruefully. "I'm quite the old man now, if you want some excitement I suggest you find Nev and Seamus."

Padma shook her head. "Far too lively for me. I'll just sit here quietly with you old man."

For a moment the two sat in companionable silence watching the passing crowds. It was nice to just stop for a while and not have to do anything, think about anything or even pretend to be happy or cheerful. Ron let out a deep sigh and then smiled as he heard Padma do the same.

"You know I've given you a long time on this move. I didn't think it was that hard!"

"Well it's not as if it's been easy to find you, running all over the country with that business of yours."

Ron shook his head. "That's no excuse, I've been in London for months now and Hermione tells me she sees enough of you."

"Well I see more of her than you," she agreed. "Not a lot though, she's always down in the courtrooms and I'm normally in the Experimental Charm labs. I see enough to know she's more tired than either of us though. She's not looking after herself Ron."

Looking over to her Ron could see the concern in Padma's eyes.

"I know, but what can you do? She's not an easy person to make do anything she doesn't want to." His tone was deliberately light, not wanting to have this conversation.

"She's going to make herself ill if she keeps it up though." Padma was earnest but Ron didn't want to hear it. "She doesn't eat properly and she keeps taking on more and more to do and everyone says she's only days away from a complete breakdown. Something's got to be done."

Ron felt a familiar sickness in his stomach and he tried desperately to stop his hands from shaking.

"Don't you think I know that?!" His voice was sharper than he'd intended it to be but once he'd started he couldn't stop himself. "She's overworking herself and she's not even recovered from her injuries. She won't listen to anyone. She won't take breaks. She just won't stop. If I could stop her physically I would but she'd never forgive me." The hopelessness in his voice made Padma shiver as he continued. "She never really listened to me anyway, it always took both of us to get Hermione out of her stubborn moods."

His eyes darkened and he took a sharp breath as he realised what he had just said.

"You never say his name anymore."

Padma's words were said with great simplicity but they felt like knives.

"It's not because we've forgotten him." His tone and his whole face was emotionless now. "Never that. It's just... why bother? He's dead, there's nothing we can do to bring him back. I don't think we work without him."

Padma looked at him disbelievingly and thought for a moment and tried to find words to help.

"You once told me I was a whole witch even without my sister, without Parvati and you know it's true. I miss her still so much it feels like a physical ache but I have to go on and so do you. You can't pretend. Not saying his name isn't going to bring him back or make you miss him any less."

"Harry, Harry, Harry. There, are you happy now?"

Ron stood up angrily, his face flushed red.

"No. How can you ask that? Of course I'm not happy. I just hate to see you and Hermione hurting so much."

Some of the anger drained from Ron's face and he leant heavily against a nearby wall.

"We'll get through I guess, just like we always do. It's just hard right now, maybe when the trials are over..."

Ron's voice faded and Padma reached her hand out as if she was going to comfort him but she stopped herself, there was nothing she could say to that really but she tried anyway.

"I have the answer though, the next move, are you ready for the next move Ron?"

He nodded slightly, not trusting himself to speak.

"Knight to E5. The Knight marches on, he keeps going. It's not over yet."

"I know," Ron's voice trembled. "I know it's not over, I know I have to move on but I won't leave her behind and she's not..."

Now it was Padma's turn to nod, Hermione wasn't ready to move on yet though she prayed fervently that the time would be soon. If only for her own sake let alone Ron's. For another moment the two were silent, less happily than before perhaps but still companionable.

"Come on then, if it's moving on you want then how about finding that Irish rascal and some very large ice creams."

* * *

It was barely a month later that it happened.

"Is Ron there? Terry, quickly, is Ron there, you've got to find him!"

Ron turned towards the fireplace at the sound of his name. "Who is it Terry? What's happened?"

Terry Boot, an employee of Weasley constructions said something to the head in the flames and then looked over to Ron, his face was drained of all colour.

"It's Hermione, she's in St Mungos."

In that moment Ron's world stopped. He felt time grind to a halt just as it had in the last moments of the battle.

How he got from his office to the ward he never knew, it was as if everything had disappeared, the world was just a hazy fog bank to him. As he stood with his hand on the door of the private room he'd been directed to he knew he was no Gryffindor. He was too scared to open the door and find the truth.

As he paused Ron imagined a hand on his shoulder and a presence by his side and he found himself pushing the door open slowly. The room wasn't empty, someone was standing by the window but all Ron's concentration was centred on the figure lying on the bed.

"No..." The word escaped from his lips and he grasped Hermione's pale hand. "No, you can't... Hermione... please..."

He was begging and he didn't care, this wasn't happening. She wasn't. She couldn't be. He couldn't even think the word. He'd been expecting this for so long and yet praying with all his being that it would never come. And now it had.

Sitting on the side of her bed he traced her cheek gently with his hand. She looked so calm, so peaceful, just as he had. Just as Harry had.

"No."

At that the tears came, his body was racked with sobs and he collapsed forwards, burying his head in the sheet covering Hermione's body.


	4. Moving On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Full of anger and regret Ron is struggling to keep going but his friend's won't let him despair.

Sometime later, minutes? hours? He wasn't sure, he became aware of the figure by the window. They were staring out of the window but even with her back turned Ron recognised Padma.

"Padma?"

His voice was almost a whisper, sore from his crying, but she turned towards him all the same. Her face was a mask of anguish and Ron knew she was hurting almost as much as he was. She reached out her hands towards him, as if to embrace him, but he shook his head and looked back at Hermione's still figure.

"Both of them. I've lost both of them. Tell me how to make the next move now if you're so smart. Tell me how to go on living when everyone I love dies around me. Tell me." His voice cracked with emotion and he looked up at Padma, anger filling his eyes.

"Ron, I'm so..."

"Don't say that. Don't say you're sorry. What good does that do? What good do compassion and friendship and love do when it always ends like this. I was never good at anything except being there for them and now they're both gone. It should have..."

But at that moment Padma closed the distance between them and covered his mouth with her hand.

"NEVER say that. You are a wonderful person Ronald Weasley. I know you loved them, I know it hurts, I know I'll never understand quite how you feel right now but NEVER say it should have been you. What would we do without you?"

Ron shook his head and tried to fight against her embrace.

"You'd do just fine. However _special_ I am nobody can say the world wouldn't be better with her in it and me dead. She was so much more than me, so much more than I could ever be. So was Harry. I used to be jealous of him, you know, he was so bright, so brave. I knew I'd never be like him and I hated it. I'm the least of the Trio and now I'm the only one left. Tell me that's just, tell me that's part of some divine plan."

The bitterness in Ron's voice cut Padma to the core. She had no idea what to say to him. Her understanding of losing someone so close wouldn't help her here she knew. The Trio had always been something apart and she couldn't imagine how Ron felt now. Watching Hermione slowly kill herself must have been impossible. It had been hard enough as a friend and Ron was so much more.

"They'd have disagreed. Both of them. They'd have been happy to give their lives for you."

Ron gasped as if her words had been a physical blow. He couldn't find the words to argue, the strength to fight her. He rocked in her arms as if trying to escape from the crushing reality of the situation.

His eyes were trained on Hermione's face and he willed her to wake up, to smile, to curse, anything but lie there so still. Hermione was never still.

"What's the point in going on without her? What's the point of the Knight bravely soldiering on when everything can be ripped away even after the war is over. Knight to E5 you said, well I'll copy you, knight to E5. I took him, I've taken your precious knight. It's over."

Padma shook her head desperately, chess, even now chess. Perhaps she could use it, it had worked before, but somehow she knew this was harder.

"It's not over Ron. It's not over until the king is taken, you know that."

"The king's been taken, whether you mean Harry or Dumbledore, the king's been taken. It's over Padma. Let me alone. Just go away."

He finally broke loose from her grasp and pointedly turned his back on her. She stood, hating to leave him but with no idea of what else to do.

"She said your name, she collapsed and I ran to her just like... I held her and she said your name and that she loved you and that she was sorry and then her eyes went all distant and she sighed," Padma swallowed hard but didn't stop, "she sighed _Harry_ and then she was gone. I wish I could say something to help you Ron. Whether you believe it or not. It's. Not. Over.

* * *

The funeral was awful. Hermione was a well-known witch and people turned out in their hundreds as they had done for Harry but this time it was different. The war was further away in people's minds and Hermione's friends found themselves at the centre of a whirlwind of press and public attention. There were flattering obituaries, analyses of what had happened to Hermione, discussions on how to deal with those so affected by the war and old wounds were reopened as talk turned to the famous Trio.

In the middle of all the chaos was Ron, pale and alone. Nobody knew what to say to him and, after a while, no-one even tried.

After the memorial those closest to Hermione went to the grave side to watch her body being lowered into the ground. There were tears flowing, unchecked, from most there including Padma. She had come to love Hermione as a sister during the war and her loss had brought back painful memories of Parvati's death.

Ginny clung to Dennis as if he was her anchor and Padma noticed that Lavender, the only remaining Gryffindor girl from that year was clutching Megan Jones' hand. Ron seemed unaware that any of them were there. He stared into the grave and Padma shivered at the lack of life in his eyes. If anyone had asked him how he felt he'd have found it hard to answer, his mind was still trying to accept that Hermione too had gone on ahead.

As the funeral group made to leave the graveyard Padma saw, with horror, that there were hundreds of onlookers waiting for them, including many representatives of the press. She moved instinctively to shield Ron from their gazes and as she did so she became aware of the behaviour of her friends.

All the remaining members of Dumbledore's Army had formed a guard around him and beyond that was a ring of other students.

There were Hannah and Ernie Macmillan supporting Justin Finch-Fletchley who had a strong limp behind them was Zacherias Smith but there was no Susan. She was in St Mungos still unaware of the world around her.

Luna Lovegood was there, covered in scars, and she, Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein represented the Ravenclaws along with Padma as Marietta, Luna and Michael Corner were dead and Cho in Azkaban.

Ginny clung to Dennis but was standing tall next to Fred, George and Lee Jordan on Ron's right side, on his left were Lavender, Neville and Seamus. Padma passed over the painful absence of her twin and onto the three Gryffindor chasers who were all missing. Katie Bell was in a ward in St Mungos alongside Susan, Alicia had moved to America to escape the memories and Angelina was on duty as an Auror.

It was a smaller group than they had once been and far more weary and battle-scarred but they stuck closely together until they entered the hall where Hermione's wake was to take place. Ron seemed to stir as he walked amidst his friends, looking around at their faces sadly.

"We'd not even be here without her."

His voice was so quiet but all of them heard it. Ginny tried to reach for his arm, to give her brother some kind of comfort, but he pulled away and moved to a corner of the hall away from everyone.

Ginny, Seamus and one or two others looked as if they wanted to follow but it was Padma who actually made the move and as she walked towards him she was sure she heard Charlie telling the rest of them that she'd do better than any of them. She was less sure that was true.

"Fancy seeing you here." Ron's words were light but his voice was dead and his face expressionless.

"It's a good gathering for her."

"No, it's not, she deserves this a thousand times over."

Padma shook her head, this depression covering Ron was not helping him cope with his loss.

"Maybe. I think she'd prefer this though. Just her friends. She'd love to see her precious DA all together."

"Not all. We're not all here Padma," Ron's voice cracked and for the first time he looked at her.

"I know." It was all she could say, looking into his eyes she no longer thought they were dead, she could see they were alive with pain. Taking a deep breath she prayed to any listening deities to aid her friend.

"As many as could come, we can't be selfish and expect everyone we care for to survive when so many were hurt. We've been lucky in so many ways. I can't bear to see the gaps in our ranks but we can't be selfish and wish them back to such pain. We just have to keep going. Ron, we have to keep going."

Ron was very still, he seemed to be listening to her but she had no idea how he was reacting.

"Life goes on, Hermione would have been the first to tell you that before... you know she got trapped and it wasn't fair to keep her here when she was hurting so much but you can keep going."

"NO! I CAN'T!!!"

Ron's voice echoed across the hall and everyone fell silent.

"I can't keep going. I can't carry on. I'm not even bloody living anymore. I survive and barely that. THEY'RE GONE. They're gone and nothing can bring them back."

The last was said with such bitter certainty that something inside Padma snapped.

"STOP IT! Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Don't you think others are hurting? Don't you think we miss Harry and Hermione? Don't you think I feel Parvati's absence EVERY moment? If Hannah could get Susan back don't you think she'd do anything! You're not alone in suffering You're not unique in hurting. You like your bloody chess metaphors so much. Hermione was your Queen, I know that, everyone knows that, you've lost your Queen, my bishop's taken her, bishop to D1. Now what? You just keel over and die? What about the rest of us? Haven't we lost enough? Can you imagine what my life would be like without you? The game isn't over you insufferable idiot, you're still here and you're the player, the game is going on and it will keep on going. There are so many people who need you and if you can't see that Ronald Weasley you're not worth all the love Hermione and Harry and all the others have given you. If you give up now you're throwing away all the love I've ever given you, all the time and effort and care and worry..."

Padma's voice faded into the silence of the hall and Ron just stared at her.

Shaking violently Padma left the room.

* * *

"Angelina swears she won't marry Fred, she says she knows exactly how much mischief the twins could cause at a wedding and she's quite happy without one."

Padma laughed, that sounded sensible to her. She was having an ice cream with Hannah Macmillan at Fortescues almost a month after Hermione's funeral.

"I bet Mrs Weasley was pleased about that, it'll just put more pressure on poor Ginny and Dennis! What a coward Angelina is for a Gryffindor!"

"They haven't told her, apparently they're just going to remain engaged forever, I think the idea is that she'll just get used to the idea."

Hannah fingered her own wedding ring, "I couldn't have done that, I just wanted to know Ernie was safely mine."

Padma smiled at her friend, Hannah and Ernie had been one of the first pairs to marry once the war was over and it had been a beautiful wedding but tinged with more than a little sadness. As Susan couldn't be there Hannah had refused to have any bridesmaids at all.

"Have you heard from Ron recently?"

Padma was surprised by the change in questioning.

"Not a word since..." Her face clouded at the memory of the funeral. "I think maybe I went too far."

She hadn't wanted to hurt Ron by saying all she had but she'd meant every word.

"Ernie's been talking to Terry Boot, apparently he's really struggling. He's trying to keep the business going but it's just too much for him. Terry thinks he's trying to run before he can walk, he's been through a lot in the last few years. More than the rest of us I think, we were always shielded from the worst of Harry's troubles."

Padma sighed heavily, Hannah was right of course, Ron had been through hell and all she'd done was shout at him.

"I didn't help did I, I should have kept my mouth shut."

"No, it needed to be said, at least he's trying now. He's a good man and he'll get there eventually but... he's proud Padma, I think he needs help but he'll never ask. He's like Ernie in that way."

She smiled, Hannah and Ernie seemed very happy. They shared a house with Justin Finch-Fletchley and Padma knew the three of them spent most of their weekends with Susan, hoping against hope that she'd recognise them one day.

"That's all very well but how do I offer him help without him throwing it back in my face?"

"You'll work it out," Hannah stood up to leave, "I have to go now but there's someone else who'd like a chat."

She motioned down the road and Padma saw the familiar red hair approaching and her heart leapt.

It was awkward at first, Ron apologised for being such an idiot in the hospital and at the funeral and Padma apologised for shouting.

"Don't. I needed it. It's exactly what she'd have done too."

"Still, I should have found a more tactful way..."

"I wouldn't have listened," Ron cut across her. "I needed to be snapped out of that fog and you did that very effectively. It's just..."

Ron's sentence trailed away unfinished and Padma realised she was going to have to draw the truth from him.

"How are you doing in that flat of yours? Isn't it a bit out of the way for friends, and for work come to that?"

Ron tensed slightly. "Work... it is a bit far but how can I leave, it was our flat, how can I leave that behind?"

"The same way you left school behind when the time came. It was a haven for a while but then we had to leave, to move on. The flat was perfect for you and Hermione but it's not perfect for just you."

Padma wondered if she was being too blunt, but she'd always been fairly blunt with Ron, it was how he worked.

"That's true. I thought about moving closer to work but I just can't get up the energy to." Ron snapped the plastic spoon he was fiddling with into small pieces. "It's so hard. Just getting up in the morning is difficult and I can't make myself enthusiastic about work like I used to be. Sometimes I visit George, Fred and Angelina or I spend time with Seamus and Neville and for a while it seems easier but then I go back to real life and it all seems impossible again."

Padma reached out her hand and took Ron's. "You need your friends. You can't exist on your own, you need to be close to us."

Ron shook his head but didn't remove his hand.

"That might make the weekends and evenings better but it won't help with work. I just don't care about it anymore, now all the rebuilding is almost done it doesn't feel useful anymore."

Biting her lip Padma racked her brain for a solution.

"The Twins!"

Ron was surprised into smiling at her outburst. "What about them?"

"They were telling me how they need a business manager, they never were very good at all that stuff. You could be their business manager, move into Hogsmeade, you'd be surrounded by friends at work and at home."

She held her breath, hoping that he'd like the idea.

"Padma Patil, I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are an amazing witch. I'll talk to them, maybe they won't want to work with me I suppose but I can try. It'd be nice to live in Hogsmeade near you all. I missed you, Hermione seemed to be the only Ministry employee who thought she had to live in London."

The smile on his face didn't quite reach his eyes, it was too early for that, but he looked more alive than he had when he first sat down. They chatted about politics, the weather and old friends for a little longer before Padma had to return to work.

* * *

The next day however she received a note in very familiar handwriting.

Padma,

As of next week I will be the official Business Manager and Partner of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. Thanks for pushing me, only a real friend would do that and only you and Hermione have ever been able to wake me up when I'm behaving stupidly. Now she's gone I guess it's up to you to keep me on the straight and narrow. Talking to you makes me miss them less.

Ron

Ps. Bishop to F7 takes pawn. I believe that's Check. Never, ever be dismissive about my bloody chess.

* * *

Once the decision had been made Ron found that his life changed rapidly. Terry and the others at Weasley constructions put all their efforts into converting a small property on the edge of Hogsmeade for him, it was always a good idea to keep the boss sweet Terry had said.

Barely a month after he had spoken to Padma Ron found himself living amongst his friends and working in the unpredictable world that was Weasleys Wizard Wheezes. In theory he was their business manager, responsible for accounts and the businesses books but in practice Ron soon discovered he was to be a new test subject for his brothers.

For about a day they had been careful of him, remembering how pale he had looked at the funeral, but it hadn't lasted. Ron was thrust back into the mad world of the twins and had to relearn all the techniques he'd had as a child to avoid their latest experiments. He complained bitterly to anyone who would listen but they all just smiled, it was so nice to see glimpses of the old Ron even if it was just his temper.

It wasn't easy of course. Each new morning brought with it the simple challenge of getting up and getting on with his life without Hermione. However ill and weak she had been in the last days she had still been there and Ron came to realise exactly how much he had relied on her presence. Losing her and meant losing his last living ties to the Trio as a group and he found the wound of Harry's death reopen.

Fred and George lost count of the times they found him staring into space, lost in a world they knew nobody could restore to him. Of course he was no longer trapped in a flat, left to deal with it alone. Behind many of the Twins pranks was the desire to shake him out of the trances he slipped into and few days went by when he wasn't invited to lunch or dinner by someone.

* * *

Despite the Twins best efforts to blow Ron up he remained mainly in on piece. As well as his job at WWW he had continued as the nominal boss of Weasley constructions and if he wanted to escape the twins his old workmates at Weasley Constructions didn't forget him. They'd drop by with fresh anecdotes of building projects gone hideously wrong and they, as well as Lee Jordan, rejoiced in having another Quidditch obsessive around.

Seamus and Neville were always there when the others fell through and on the fringes Ron was always aware of Padma. Her work at the ministry kept her busy a lot of the time but she didn't forget him. Occasionally she'd drop into the shop for a chat or he'd receive mysterious packages in the mail full of Chocolate Frogs or the latest chess manual she'd dug up.

"It's not me who needs them you know." Ron put down Padma's latest offering, delivered by hand this time as they met up for lunch.

"No? I thought you'd appreciate them, I know how much your chess means, I'd never want to be dismissive about it."

Padma noted happily that Ron's smile reached his eyes these days.

"Ha! The quote was my "bloody chess" though and it was accompanied by my last move, if you're feeling challenged though you can always surrender."

There was a challenge in his posture that riled her up.

"Challenged? By you! Some hope, if you remember correctly I beat YOU last time!"

"Good memory you've got, that was a long time ago. I've improved since then."

"Well you could have hardly got worse."

Their sparring was entirely without malice, it followed along well trodden paths. Chess, his intelligence, her work obsession and of course the Yule Ball always made an appearance. It provided a release for both of them and amused everyone else hugely.

"Well go on then, you've had more than a month to come up with an answer. I believe you were in Check."

"Indeed, well remembered. I think moving my King to e7 should remedy that though."

"For the moment anyway, that's not too hard to answer."

"Maybe not, perhaps I could tempt you to dinner next week and you can answer me then."

Ron nodded. "That sounds like an excellent plan."

* * *

Dinner was fun, Padma had managed to somehow get hold of a table at the brand new No.1 Diagon Alley, a trendy restaurant that had just opened. It transpired that the head chef was none other than Padma's old housemate Anthony Goldstein and the pair had gone into a session of reminiscence that had made Ron wonder aloud how any work had ever got done in the Ravenclaw common room.

"What? Did you think we worked all the time? What a boring life that would have been!"

The mere thought sent the Ravenclaw pair off into fresh hysterics.

"Though some managed to fit the stereotype. Do you remember how we used to have to pry Terry from his books? Now the useless git doesn't go near them working for that building company!"

"Don't be rude about my building company thank you very much! I'm glad to hear some of you worked though."

"Oh we worked. As Anthony said Terry was always attached to his books and anyway most of our fun was had AFTER homework was done. Plus do you know how much you can learn from practical jokes, just look at your brothers after all, I'd love to get them into our Experimental Charms Unit one day."

"She's right, things like those headless hats are amazingly complex spells."

This view of his brothers always stunned Ron. Whilst he had always known that their jokes and pranks used magic he'd grown up hearing his mother berate them for not applying themselves and it still surprised him that they had actually been applying themselves very effectively.

"Anyway. I'd better leave you pair and get back to my kitchen or you'll not be getting your dessert anytime soon." Anthony made his way back across the restaurant, pausing at the occasional table, and Padma smiled watching him go.

"I'm glad to see him so happy. I never really knew what he'd do. Most of the rest of us had fairly firm plans, even Terry, though his changed radically."

"Well most people's plans changed during our last year."

The statement was simple but it held a world of pain and destruction behind it. Padma thought she would never learn to speak of their last year lightly, and perhaps that was for the best, but being around Ron's brutal honesty forced her never to forget it.

"I don't know, I'm still doing what I wanted, though I never thought I'd be doing it without Mandy somewhere by my side."

Mandy Brocklehurst had been a casualty of the final battle, Ron had never really known her but talking to Padma he'd learnt a lot about her and had learnt to regret never having known her.

"I don't really know what I wanted, to be an Auror perhaps, that was Harry's plan, but really I was pretty clueless. I think Hermione was too, but for the opposite reason, there were too many choices for her."

"Parvati and Lavender planned to go into fashion design together, at least they did at the start of our fifth year, they spent all summer planning it. I guess Lavender is actually sort of doing that, or at least writing articles about fashion designers which is close. I can't imagine Neville planned becoming a teacher so soon though!"

"I guess not. It's odd to think we're grown up enough to have a friend who is a teacher. Then again I still feel too young to have friends who are married."

Both of them smiled at that, they were too young for that really, just as they were too young to have so many friends who were dead already, but war made growing up go that much faster.

"That's true, not even just friends, I can't believe my baby sister will be married in a few months time."

Ginny and Dennis' engagement had been fairly long, they had waited till he finished school, but now preparations were speeding ahead. Ginny herself was currently teaching at a Nursery in Hogsmeade and Dennis had a place as an apprentice with a company who dealt in charms and spells to protect wizarding properties.

"I bet your mother's enjoying herself."

"She thinks it's wonderful, she's driving everyone insane with her planning every detail. If Ginny didn't know how much this means to her I think she'd just up and elope." Ron laughed as he remembered the scene he'd found at the Burrow the weekend before.

"She's had poor Alice Kerr in tears twice already, she's Gin's Maid of Honour. On Saturday she told the poor girl that the bouquets they'd designed for the bridesmaids were absolutely hideous, abominations was the word she actually used, as if flowers were vitally important to the smooth running of the wedding."

Padma shook her head, Molly Weasley was lovely when she was being motherly but nobody in their right mind wanted to cross her. "At least she's nice enough to Dennis, I pity any poor girl who marries into your family."

"That's not very nice!" Ron's indignation on behalf of his mother was real but it was slightly tempered by his recognition that Padma was just speaking the truth.

"Not nice, but true. Why do you think Penny got Percy to marry her quietly? Or why Angelina keeps letting her Gryffindor side down and refusing a wedding? For that matter you and Hermione never actually married did you!"

"That was different," he shook his head. "We couldn't get married without Harry. Plus I don't think she would have married me, I know she loved me of course but, well sometimes I thought she didn't really want to go on after it finished."

A silence fell across the table, neither of them could deny outright that idea. Eventually however the dessert arrived and the tension was broken.

"Any girl I marry is going to have to be prepared to take me, family and all, if she can't cope with a Weasley wedding then how on earth will she cope with BEING a Weasley!"

Padma threw her hands up in horror at the mere idea. "What a horrible idea! I think I'll just stick to beating Weasleys at chess, much less scary."

"Speaking of chess, I believe it's my go and I believe you're in check again. Moving my Bishop to C5 I'll take your pawn and..."

"And check, yes yes yes, It get the point." She stuck her tongue out at him and back in the kitchen Anthony smiled to himself.

If either of them had known what he was thinking they'd have been horrified but slowly all their friends were starting to notice just how much time they spent in each others presence. One by one they caught themselves talking about 'Padma and Ron' just as they spoke of 'Neville and Seamus' or even 'Ginny and Dennis' and they wondered.

The anniversary of the Final Battle was a huge event in the wizarding world but, in an unspoken accord, Ron's friends knew it wasn't a date they should remember as a group. He was left to himself on that night. If he had wanted company it would have been there but he had never seemed to yet.

Acting out of some desire for commemoration of the lost generation of Hogwarts students they created their own memorial day. In the end, the night they chose was the anniversary of Bellatrix's death, the night they had come together as a group to mourn those they had lost so far in a wake. They gathered in the largest house they could find, that meant Hannah and Ernie's now, with plenty of alcohol and proceeded to tell stupid stories and get as drunk as possible. Normally it ended with a few in tears but it wasn't a maudlin event.

This year most of the stories seemed to centre around the ridiculous romances of their childhood years, mostly centring on Ginny and Dennis, making sure they both knew everything about the other's past.

"Ginny dated Michael Corner you know."

"But he ran off to Cho, couldn't take her beating his team at Quidditch."

"Then she dated Dean for a bit but it barely lasted the summer."

"Then there was Benji Jones, he was a bit of a prat though, a Hufflepuff."

There was a pause in Seamus and Lavender's history as Seamus ducked cushions aimed at him by the various 'puffs around the room.

"He was a dear, I was with him for a while after her, but he wasn't very exciting."

"So she moved onto Christopher Nott, a Slytherin of all things! I think he might have been too exciting though."

"Then she was actually single for a while, things got a little too hectic for dating I'm afraid."

"True. Though I heard rumours about interesting sleeping arrangements..."

"SEAMUS!" Ginny had finally had enough and she launched herself at the unfortunate boy. "You can just keep your mouth shut about 'sleeping arrangements' mister!"

Dennis just sat in the corner and laughed with the rest, he knew everything there was to know about Ginny and loved her anyway.

The only ones who seemed to be taking it as anything other than a joke were the Weasley brothers. Fred was hampered from actually attacking Seamus by his wheelchair and from any other revenge by Angelina who was sitting in his lap. George had always been the most sensible about Ginny but he had gone an unfortunate shade of red at the mention of sleeping arrangements. Ron was being forcibly restrained by Padma on one side and Terry on the other.

When this was pointed out to Ginny she stopped attacking Seamus and turned on her brothers, berating them for their over protectiveness.

"I don't know what you're getting so worked up about. Fred, you've been with poor Angel forever and you've still not set a date! I can't even remember the name of George's current girlfriend there have been so many and as for Ron!"

"As for Ron what?"

A silence settled over the group as the siblings faced each other. Padma became aware that there seemed to be as many eyes on her as on Ron.

"As for Ron, he's so blind he wouldn't know a girl if she threw herself at him."

The room collapsed into giggles and thoughts inevitably turned to the Yule Ball and the Gryffindors found themselves the centre of attention, replaying Ron and Hermione's argument as the unfortunate Ron hid his head in a cushion.

A few hours later and Ron found himself in the kitchen with Padma making Hot Chocolates for those who were still awake. Ron had assumed they were going to be using magic but Padma had reached for an enormous saucepan and was now rooting around in the cupboards for some cinnamon to put in the chocolate.

"Where on earth did you learn to make muggle Hot Chocolate?" Ron leant against the kitchen counter watching her work.

"One of my aunts is a squib and she used to make it like this." Padma sprinkled something from a bottle Ron couldn't see the label of into the mixture, "I always think it's more fun this way."

"I don't know about more fun but that smell is certainly getting to me!"

Padma laughed at the hungry look on Ron's face.

"It's nearly done, I promise, could you find some mugs? I think Hannah keeps them in that cupboard."

She pointed towards a big oak cabinet with one foot whilst stirring the mystery ingredient in. Ron discovered that the cupboard contained what seemed to be hundreds of mugs, none of which seemed to match.

There were various Quidditch team logos, a few wizarding pop groups and a few non wizarding ones, one mug which proclaimed I LOVE CHOCOLATE in big letters and another that had a handle like a tiger's tail. Pulling out several and placing them on a tray to be filled.

Ron looked at the large number with surprise. "Why on earth do they need so many mugs?!" He shook his head. "There are only three of them living here!"

Padma started ladling the chocolate into the mugs, carefully but with a distinct shake in her hands as she tried not to laugh at Ron's wide eyed surprise.

"I don't think it's how many they need really, though they often seem to have guests round, it's more how many they have. Three people's mug collections, four if you include Susan and I think they've got most of hers. People like giving mugs as presents."

Ron shook his head in disbelief. "Crazy, completely bloody crazy!"

"Crazy or not it's true, you should see my collection! Now make yourself helpful and carry that tray through into the Sitting Room."

Picking up the full tray Ron tried very carefully not to spill any of the precious liquid, he knew what Ginny would say if her mug was less than full. Padma however didn't seem to be in a helpful mood, removing her own mug from the tray she flashed a wicked grin.

"Oh, by the way, King to F6, safe again."

She laughed and then, very quickly, leaned over and kissed him on the nose before rushing out of the kitchen leaving an astounded Ron desperately trying not to drop the whole tray.


	5. A New Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starting with a wedding and ending with a ball Ron, Padma and friends are making a new start.

The wedding itself was absolutely beautiful and, much to Ron's surprise, it went perfectly. There were no last minute tricks from the Twins, no last minute hysterics from his mother and none of the wizards had yet managed to let slip anything about magic or muggles or wars. Ron was sitting at the front, next to his mother on one side and George on the other.

Before the service started he looked around the church and saw Padma about half way back with a couple who must have been her parents. Ron had been horrified to realise that he had never actually met Padma's parents though she'd met Mr and Mrs Weasley hundreds of times. He recognised them vaguely as one of the sets of parents who used to wave the Hogwarts Express off each year but other than that he didn't know them at all. Mrs Patil he had learnt taught in the Infant school attached to the Nursery where Ginny worked so they had been invited along with their daughter.

As Ginny entered on her father's arm all eyes in the church turned to her. She looked stunning. As she moved slowly down the aisle Ron felt his heart swell with pride for his beautiful sister, though not without a tinge of sadness for the old plan where it would have been Harry waiting for her at the front. The way she and Dennis looked at each other when she reached him however destroyed any doubts he had, the love in their eyes was so strong.

In her place Padma was thinking almost the same thing. They made a lovely couple and nobody could doubt that they were meant to be together. Her mother had already started crying into her handkerchief and Padma could feel the tears welling up in her own eyes. Trying to stop the tears from falling she turned her gaze but it fell on Ron then and she was transfixed.

He looked so happy, so radiant, so proud of his little sister. She had thought he might find it hard watching Ginny marry someone else when they knew he had always planned her for Harry, she had been afraid this would yet again open old wounds, but all she could see on his face was happiness. She marvelled at his strength but as she was watching him he turned slightly and caught her eye and she looked down, blushing. As soon as she had done it she felt stupid, it was just Ron, why was she afraid to look at him?

The rest of the wedding ceremony passed in something of a blur for Padma, however hard she tried to concentrate on the words of the service all she could imagine was the look on Ron's face when he'd looked at her.

At the reception Ron was determined to introduce himself to Mr and Mrs Patil, still feeling slightly guilty that he'd never met them before. They were standing at one side of the room with Padma so he slowly made his way across to them, pausing several times as other guests stopped to talk to him.

"Padma, Mr and Mrs Patil, I hope you're enjoying yourselves." He sounded stilted and stupid even to himself but then he'd never been great at small talk or formal occasions.

"We're having a delightful time thank you. You must be Ronald Weasley, I don't believe we've been introduced." Mrs Patil ended her sentence with a glare at her daughter who looked embarrassed.

"I thought you knew him, he was in the same house as P..."

"Yes well, it's nice to meet you dear." Jumping in on the end of Padma's sentence Ron could tell Mrs Patil did not want Pavarti's name to be mentioned.

"Did your mother really organise all this?"Mrs Patil gestured to the room, "it must have been quite some undertaking."

Ron nodded. "She's been in charge of the wedding plans, the Burrow's been full of wedding food for days."

"She cooked the food as well? How strange, I'd have thought she would invite caterers in. My cousin runs a very good firm I could have recommenced to your sister if she'd asked."

Padma looked down at the floor and Ron swallowed awkwardly unsure of what to say.

"I think she enjoys it and Ginny's always loved home cooking."

Mrs Patil looked sceptical, "I suppose Mrs Creevy helped her as well, I was most surprised when Ginny told me she was having a muggle wedding."

"She organised the flowers in the church, but Mum was in charge of most of the reception as far as I know."

"Hmm." She looked thoughtful at that. "I've always thought that boy looked too scrawny. I hope your sister is going to feed him up. He looks as though the wind might blow him away!"

"Mother!"

Padma blushed even redder than before, she was horribly embarrassed by her mother, this was why she never introduced her friends to her parents.

"What? He's very thin, just like you are, you need to eat properly child!" Mrs Patil turned to Ron, "you think she'd look better if she was a little less bony don't you?"

"I think Padma looks lovely.." He started confidently but trailed away uncertain that this was the right answer. Mrs Patil scowled slightly but the slight smile from Padma reassured him. This conversation was a little too strange for his liking, or rather it was all too familiar.

Looking around the room Ron saw his chance of escape.

"It was nice talking to you Mrs Patil, I can see Lavender wants me over there though."

Lavender had in fact been watching the exchange between Ron and the Patils with great interest. As Ron approached her the look on his, extremely red, face made her burst into fits of giggles.

"Oh Ron, didn't you enjoy meeting the in-laws?"

This sentence ended in a squawk and Hannah Macmillan quickly apologised for _accidentally_ treading on Lavender's foot. Ron just looked confused.

"No, the Creevys are over there, I was just talking to Padma's mum and dad. Bloody weird they are too."

That set Lavender off again and Seamus and Neville came over to enquire what exactly had got into her. Between giggles Lavender breathlessly explained.

"Ron... The Patils... _Bloody weird_... Oh Ron."

"That girl is completely insane" Ron threw up his hands in despair but just then Seamus caught on and started giggling too.

Neville was smiling wickedly too, but at least he wasn't laughing, so Ron demanded an explanation.

"She didn't seem at all... at all familiar? Didn't remind you of anyone?"

"Mrs Patil?" Ron looked bemused. "Nope, she's not a bit like Padma. Well they're both a bit bossy but really..." He trailed off in confusion and Neville just smiled wider.

"Let me guess what she said." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "She probably criticised the wedding, suggested someone in her family could have done better, embarrassed Padma and then told you someone needed fattening up. Who does that sound like to you?"

Ron shook his head, the whole lot of them had flipped! As he turned his head however he noticed something. Over on the far side of the room his mother was fussing with Ginny's hair, from the look on Gin's face she wasn't too pleased with her mother's attentions, Molly had been telling her to grow it out for the wedding for months.

As he looked back across to the Patils he could see Padma grimace as her mother tucked a stray lock behind her daughter's ear and remonstrate with her about something.

He stood and looked from one scene to the other until he was brought back to his surroundings by the sound of hysterical laugher.

By now Hannah and Ernie had joined in the amusement too and the look on Ron's face was just priceless.

"Bloody Hell! It's like two of my Mum. Bloody Hell!"

"Imagine the two of them together, the combined forces of Mrs Patil and Mrs Weasley." Seamus' voice trembled with laughter even as he tried to look scared.

"I'd be more frightened of setting them up against each other. Who'd win that argument?" Lavender had by now managed to recover herself just about enough to speak in full sentences but she was still breathless.

Ron was still looking shocked and terrified, he had this image of the pair of them facing up to each other over organising the catering for a wedding.

"What's so funny?" Padma's confused voice cut through his thoughts and, if it was possible to go any redder than he already was, Ron blushed.

"Nothing, they've all gone mad. The lot of them." He took her arm. "Let's leave this lot of hyenas and go find some food."

As the pair of them walked off Lavender dissolved into giggles again and had to be held up by Hannah. Seamus had the last word however.

"Bags me front seats at THEIR wedding."

* * *

The Grand Opening of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes new store in Diagon Alley looked like it was going to be the event of the year, if not the decade. A whole section of the Alley was going to be turned into a venue for a ball with warming charms and decorations and the latest hit sensation, The Charms had been booked to play. It was going to be a fantastic night of fun culminating in fireworks and the midnight opening of the new store.

That was the official line anyway. Everyone who actually knew the twins was expecting fireworks of quite another type.

The Hogsmeade shop had been doing a roaring trade, as had the mail order business they ran from the back of the shop, but Fred and George had finally found a property in Diagon Alley they were happy with and had snapped it up.

The plan was for George to run the London branch with the help of Lee Jordan whilst Fred continued in Hogsmeade with Ron. Some had expressed doubts that the twins would cope apart but, as Ron had pointed out, it was hardly difficult to Floo or apparate between the two locations. Anyway, poor Angelina deserved a break from living with both twins before her own twins arrived. Molly's excitement at the impending grandchildren had almost made up for Fred and Angelina's unwillingness to actually set a date for their wedding.

Ron was completely tied up in arrangements for the new store's opening. The twins themselves had been locked in their laboratory for weeks devising "surprises" for the party so that Ron had been left with most of the practicalities.

He complained to anyone who would listen that they were overworking him and that he was just going to walk out one day. Nobody listened. Everyone could see that Ron was happier than he had been since Hogwarts days, he was busy, wanted and had Padma dropping in every evening on her way home from work. In fact most of their friends were becoming sick of waiting for the penny to finally drop between the pair.

* * *

"Ronald Weasley will you sit still for five seconds and talk to me!" Lavender's tone was sufficiently exasperated to make Ron finally pay attention. He put his pile of papers down and came and sat down next to Lavender.

"You know this is supposed to be the weekend. When you rest. You know, actually stop working."

Ron shook his head. "That's all very well but the ball's in less than two weeks and if I don't sort out these Ministry forms we'll have no location for the party and I've still got to approve The Charms' set list."

Shaking her head in disbelief Lavender pressed a cup of tea into Ron's hands.

"You do realise that you're actually starting to sound like a cross between Hermione and your mother don't you." She waved away his protests and continued, "it's terribly rude to ignore a guest like this anyway."

Busy though he was Ron recognised the truth in Lavender's words and apologised with a grin. "Well I'm awfully sorry Miss Brown. My manners must be appalling. What would you like to talk about, I believe we've been having unusually fine weather recently."

The cushion Lavender threw luckily missed Ron's tea by an inch.

"Ungrateful boy. Anyone would think you didn't want visitors." She scowled at him. "I have in fact come on a very serious errand."

Something about her face stopped Ron from either laughing or teasing her. Though Lavender had calmed down considerably since her schoolgirl days and no longer giggled quite as much it was unusual enough for her to actually be serious that he started paying attention.

"Go on Lav, I'm sorry, I'll try and listen properly."

He glanced across at the huge pile of paper on the desk, and the coffee table, and the other armchair but then back to Lavender, determined to at least try and give her a chance.

She sighed deeply. "I had a little speech prepared but you've made me completely forget it. You never did know how to be serious."

She muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "Uranus indeed" and Ron went an unfortunate shade of red, when it came to Weasley's all shades of red were unfortunate really.

"I don't even know where to start... I suppose with Parvati," she paused slightly after the name and fiddled with one of her bangles. "I knew her for long enough to know that she would be supremely unimpressed with the way you've been acting recently and, well, as she isn't here to complain herself I guess it's up to me."

Ron shifted uneasily, he had no idea what Lavender was on about but if she was willingly bringing up Parvati and her absence then it obviously was important to her.

"What... Sorry Lavender, my behaviour? I can't think of anything I've done lately that would have upset Parvati if she'd been here," he paused, he had of course been being very rude about the latest set of horoscopes in the Daily Prophet that Trelawney now wrote but Lavender couldn't know about that and she wouldn't be so serious about it either. She'd just have shouted at him.

"Wouldn't Padma have told me if it was so bad?"

"Well that, I believe, is the problem. Padma."

Ron tried to look completely baffled but even someone as dense as he could be had started to pick up on some of his friend's hints.

"Don't pretend you don't understand Weasley. As embarrassing as I'm sure this is for both of us it is my duty, in 'Vati's place, to ask you what your intentions are towards Padma."

She sat back and glared at him until Ron wished the sofa would open up and swallow him.

"What do you want me to say?" He sounded defensive at first, "she's my friend, I like spending time with her. I'd certainly never do anything to hurt her or upset her and I don't see what business it is of yours anyway."

"Oh don't you!" Lavender snapped. "I told you, I'm doing this solely because my best friend, Padma's sister, isn't here to do it and anyway I'm friends with Padma and I'm friends with you and if you don't get your act together soon then it might be too late."

She got up with a flounce and stomped towards the door.

"Too late?!" Ron's voice was angry still and she didn't feel like being nice to the stubborn idiot.

"Zacherias Smith's asking her to the ball, he's been interested in her for years and he reckons it's finally his chance. He's probably right too, he can be very romantic when he puts his mind to it."

"WHAT! That bloody Hufflepuff PRAT is asking PADMA to the ball!?!" Ron was on his feet in a moment, storming up and down the length of his tiny living room. "What does he think he's doing? He's not good enough for her. Bloody blond pillock. She wouldn't go with him." One glance at the look on Lavender's face and all the defiance went out of Ron's words. "She couldn't. Could she?"

His voice trailed off and he sat down again heavily. He looked so despondent that Lavender took pity on him and came and sat beside him.

"I don't know Ron, she might. After all she hasn't got anyone else to take her."

"She's got me!" Ron jumped in over Lavender. "I'll take her."

Lavender shook her head sadly. "Have you told her that? Have you actually asked her to the ball Ron?" She smiled faintly at a distant memory. "It'll be the Yule Ball all over again if you don't."

Ron was completely still for a moment, processing what she'd just told him. The idea of Smith taking his Padma to the ball made him feel sick. Who did he think he was? And what did she mean the Yule Ball all over again. Suddenly Ron's thoughts tripped over themselves. My Padma.

"I forgot she was a girl..."

Lavender had to forcibly restrain herself from laughing at that, Padma was a beautiful woman and only Ron Weasley could forget that fact but he looked so serious she hadn't the heart to tease him.

"You know what you're going to do then?"

He took a deep breath. "I guess I do."

* * *

Padma was surprised to find Ron waiting outside the Diagon Alley exit of the Ministry on the following Monday. He was holding something behind his back and was looking distinctly nervous.

"Something wrong?"

Her voice startled Ron out of his reverie and he smiled at her. "Nothing at all. Just thought you might want some lunch."

"Sounds lovely," she looked at him suspiciously. "Why did you come all the way down to London for lunch?"

Inwardly Ron cursed himself for getting involved with suspicious women. "I thought we could have lunch together... I... Well I wanted to ask you something."

At this Padma became seriously worried, Ron had long since stopped being shy around her and he seemed very unwilling to ask whatever it was. She moved over to a bench and sat down.

"Go on then, I'll never eat whilst I'm curious."

Ron shook himself and sat down next to her. "Iwaswonderingifyou'dcomewithmetotheballnextweekend."

"Excuse me?" Ron had gone bright red, though whether from embarrassment or lack of oxygen she was unsure.

He took a deep breath and started again. "I was wondering if you, Padma Patil, would go with me to the ball next weekend."

She felt her breath catch in her throat and thanked any listening gods that her own complexion hid her blushes.

"Of course I will you idiot, why all the big fuss?" She smiled, reassuringly she hoped, "I thought I'd come and help you all set up anyway."

Ron shook his head and produced a bunch of, slightly wilting, roses from behind his back.

"Not to come and help, not as a friend, I meant..." He trailed off slightly uncertain of himself but remembered Hermione's scorn at not being asked and Lavender's words about Zacherias Smith and tried again.

"Will you come to the ball with me as a date?"

Padma couldn't decide whether to laugh at Ron for the ridiculousness of the situation or shout for joy. She settled for smiling again and taking the flowers.

"Yes, I'd love to."

Ron's worried face broke into a broad grin and he hugged her impulsively.

"Careful!" Padma returned the hug but pulled back quickly. "These flowers have been through enough already it looks like."

"Sorry about that, turns out it's not a great idea to take flowers by Floo."

She laughed at him and then got up and pulled him up too.

"Well what about this lunch you offered me?"

He offered her his arm and they wondered towards a nearby sandwich shop.

Much later Padma looked at the card attached to the flowers.

"Castle/King swap Check. I'll pick you up at eight"

* * *

A week later Padma was getting ready for the ball when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She'd never been a vain person, or really interested in her appearance at all, that had always been Parvati.

The dress she had chosen for the night was a deep midnight blue with a long, full skirt. It had two slits up her legs to allow for dancing and it was cut low across her back. She'd never really worn anything quite so daring before and looking at her reflection she thought for a moment that she was looking at her sister.

"Do you approve 'Vati?" she whispered under her breath.

She sat in silence for a moment staring into the mirror, waiting for a response that was never going to come. Parvati wouldn't have approved of the colour of course, she'd probably have had something to say about her hair too which was swept off her head in a loose knot rather than the fancy styles Parvati had preferred. The debates they'd had before the Yule Ball came flooding back to Padma.

Debates? Well they were more like arguments as far as she remembered. Parvati had been insistent that Padma dress up and make an effort and not ruin her, Parvati's one chance with Harry Potter. Padma laughed at the memory, she'd never really had a chance with that boy of course, completely fixated on Cho as he was. Not that Cho had had much luck either.

Padma hadn't really been bothered about attending with Ron back then but now she could feel the butterflies in her stomach and she had to forcibly remind herself that it was just Ron.

_Just Ron? Then why are you wearing the eyeshadow I picked out for you and Grandma's opal necklace?_

Parvati's laughing voice came into her head and Padma smiled.

"Because I'm an idiot, he'll never notice anyway."

Padma thought she could almost see Parvati smile at that, and nod of course.

_You chose the boy._

"I suppose I did."

She sat up straighter and checked her make up for the last time as she heard the door bell ring. As she walked out of the door she turned back to the mirror for a moment.

"Thanks sis'."

Then, feeling slightly self conscious for talking to herself she walked out of the door and kissed a surprised Ron on the cheek before letting him take her arm and lead her to the special Floo point set up from Hogsmeade to the party.

"Wow."

As she stepped out of the Floo into Diagon Alley Padma's eyes widened at the sight before her. She was still staring in amazement when Ron stumbled out of the fireplace and nearly knocked her over.

"Sorry!" he apologised and tried to brush the soot he'd just got on her off but she just laughed.

"Come on, it looks amazing out there." She took his arm, "show me what it is you've been working so hard on."

He had been working hard, as had a whole host of others, and the street looked fantastic. All of the buildings within the area had lights in their windows and strung between their roofs. To increase the lighting, but keep the atmosphere of evening, fairies had also been employed to flit around the space. There was a large area cleared for a dance floor at one side with a stage large enough for a very large band.

As they arrived, however, a string quartet were providing the music and the notes carried through the air by means of careful amplification charms. There were tables and chairs set around the edges as well as tables displaying some of WWW's finest merchandise as well as photographs of some of them in action. Waiters stood ready with trays of drinks, a mixture of humans and house elves Padma noticed as one ran up to Ron.

"Mr Wheezy! Mr Wheezy! Sir must come at once!"

With a start Padma realised that it was none other than Dobby.

"What's happened? Everything was fine when I left! Don't tell me someone's set off the security charms?!" Ron looked so exasperated Padma nearly laughed, he'd told her on the way about the complex charms set up to keep out gatecrashers which seemed a little temperamental.

"Not the charms." Dobby tugged at Ron's sleeve, "Dobby can't find the cases of champagne. Mr Wheezy must come and see!"

Throwing up his hands in despair Ron turned apologetically to Padma. "I'm so sorry, I'll have to go and find out what's wrong."

"That's alright, I'll stay here and listen to the music." She smiled reassuringly at him and then turned to Dobby. "Send him right back to me when he's finished please Dobby."

Dobby bowed to her and dragged Ron off leaving Padma alone.

Long before Ron returned she had been found by several acquaintances. Seamus had arrived wearing a suit in the most amazing shade of green and had promptly started waltzing round the dance floor with Lavender Brown. Ginny and Dennis were having a discussion with Ernie and Hannah about something very important which left Padma with Justin and Neville.

The three of them were catching up on gossip whilst trying very hard not to giggle at the contrast between Seamus' green suit and Lavender's almost orange dress. When Ron finally did appear, with Lee Jordan in tow, all thoughts of embarrassment had flown from Padma's mind.

"What is Seamus wearing!?"

"He says it's St Patrick's Day and if he's not allowed to celebrate it with his muggle mates then he's going to let all the wizarding world know." Neville sighed, he suspected he would be repeating the explanation a lot that night. Padma patted his arm.

"Don't worry Neville, I'm sure after a few drinks he'll tell everyone the reasons himself."

"That's what I'm afraid of!" Neville threw up his hands in horror at the idea.

Taking pity on him and changing the subject Padma turned to Ron. "Crisis averted? You found the cases?"

"Sort of," he rolled his eyes. "Lee found them actually, Fred and George had them. I think they'd been planning some trick with them but we've convinced them that spelled champagne is not a good idea. I'd keep away from the punch though if I was you."

"Thanks for the tip!" Padma laughed. "It looks like it's going to be a night to remember!"

By the time the ball was well underway Ron was wondering why it had been so hard to ask Padma anyway. Walking up to her door had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done and yet it wasn't as if it was any different to dinner or any of the other parties they went to. All their friends were there and it was just another night out.

When he said this to Lavender however she looked at him disgustedly and walked off leaving Ron looking completely bemused.

"I think perhaps, little brother, she feels it shouldn't be like any other night." George's voice startled Ron slightly as he appeared from behind.

"What do you mean? Of course it's not like any other night. I spent long enough organising it to know that!"

George shook his head sadly, "Ronald, I do believe you've slightly missed the point."

Seeing that Ron still looked confused George place an arm around his shoulders and attempted to explain.

"I may not be the world's expert in making romances last but what I do know is that when you invite a girl to a ball she expects you to spend at least some time with her."

"But I have been, right up until a moment ago when I had to go and make sure the tables were being cleared for midnight..."

"Yes, and you've been like that all night! I've been watching, you never spend more than five minutes in one place and you haven't been alone with her since you arrived."

Ron shook his brother's arm off and turned to face him. "Well of course not, we're in the middle of a ball, how could we be alone."

George didn't say anything but instead motioned towards the dance floor where Ginny and Dennis could be seen dancing closely, unaware of the rest of the world. He then pointed out Percy and Penny who were sitting, hand in hand, talking quietly and then to Neville who had finally got Seamus to stand still, watching a group of dancing fairy lights.

"I... I should ask her to dance you mean?"

Finally George gave up being subtle. "Yes you bloody prat you should. In fact you should have done already. Look where she is now!"

Scanning the room for Padma he soon found her, her back was towards him and the lights were gleaming in her hair but that wasn't what attracted his attention, what Ron saw first was that she was talking to Zacherias.

* * *

"Excuse me, I've come to claim my date."

Ron tapped Zacherias on the shoulder and took hold of Padma's arm gently. She smiled at him and said goodbye to Zacherias who looked distinctly annoyed. As they walked towards the dance floor Padma leant into Ron's arm.

"Thank you!" she sighed. "I've been trying to escape him for ages, where were you?"

"Just somewhere being a prat as always." Ron grinned at her, "however now I'm here, would you dance with me Miss Patil."

"Why certainly Mr Weasley, I'd be delighted."

As he took her in his arms Ron suddenly became nervous again.

"I'm not exactly good at this I'm afraid, perhaps you should have stuck with another partner."

Padma shook her head. "Don't be silly. You'll be fine if you just relax."

Taking a deep breath Ron tried to do just that but couldn't make his legs do what he wanted them to.

"Try thinking about something else," she racked her brains for a subject to distract him with. "Chess for instance. King to E5 means I'm on the run again."

"You're getting good at running." Ron smiled looked up, immediately relaxing, "I believe you can't run forever though!"

Unfortunately as soon as he stopped talking he tensed up again and by the time he had trodden on her feet for the fourth time they were both tense. He pulled away from her, looking unhappily towards where Zacherias Smith was leading Megan Jones around the floor.

"This is stupid. You need a more graceful partner, I said so."

"Ron!" Padma's voice was determined and made him look at her. "You're my partner and if you don't want to dance we can go and stand somewhere and watch. I'll be just as happy."

Ron tried to smile but didn't quite manage it. All the same he led her across the room to a quiet corner where they stood in companionable silence watching the crowds.

"Sorry I'm being so useless tonight."Ron's eyes were fixed on the crowds. "I wanted everything to be perfect for you and I just don't seem to be able to get it right."

Padma started to protest but he turned to face her and stopped her mouth with a finger.

"No, let me say this." He took a deep breath and looked at her. "When I came to get you I thought I'd never seen anything more beautiful, your dress, your necklace, the way you've tied up your hair, it's all wonderful. Even that eye shadow is the perfect colour but I never said anything I just talked about security charms. Then I nearly knocked you over as we arrived, after which I deserted you and all evening I've been rushing around all over the place. I wanted everything to be right for you but instead I've ended up everywhere except with you. I'm not very good at telling people how I feel but I should have at least been able to ask you to dance and then not tread on your toes."

His hand came up, almost involuntarily, and stroked her cheek.

"I wanted to make everything perfect for you, to show you how much you mean to me and how much I would have hated it if you'd come with someone else but it's stupid because however much I try I'll never be worthy of you. You deserve the best Padma Patil. The very best."

Padma's mind was whirling with his words. She didn't know if she was more surprised by the look in his eyes, or the fact that he'd noticed her eye shadow or the way his hand felt so right against her skin. She reached up to cover his hand with her own and tried to reply.

"But Ron..."

"Padma! Ron! There you are!"

Suddenly Seamus was upon them and full of energy. "Come on! I'm going to teach everyone a dance"

They let themselves be dragged away but for the rest of the evening all Padma could think about was the way Ron had looked at her.

They danced and they chatted with their friends. They oohed and ahhed the fireworks, and laughed as they saw some of the originals from back in the days of Umbridge.

One lot of punch turned out to contain something that changed everyone's hair colour and another brought everyone who drank it out in star shaped spots. For once wanting to look nice Padma was glad she had avoided it. It was a magical evening.


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for a happy ending at last? Ron walks Padma home in the moonlight.

It was past one o'clock by the time they arrived back at Hogsmeade and fell out of the Floo point. The guard shook his head at the two laughing figures and waved them out of the door. Padma's dress was shining in the moonlight and Ron was entranced by the way it shimmered. A sudden shiver from her reminded him that the dress was sleeveless and he removed his jacket to place around her shoulders.

Walking down the centre of the streets of Hogsmeade the two laughed at memories of their schooldays here, the sweets from Honeydukes and the jokes from Zonkos. They were intoxicated by the night air as well as a fair quantity of the unspelled champagne so that everything seemed alive and beautiful.

"Parvati and I used to buy muggle records and have them sent to us in the post." Padma's face beamed as she remembered. "We would play them on charmed machines and dance sometimes. She was always a much better dancer than I was, I just spun and swayed."

With that Padma lifted her arms to the sky and started singing:

_"Why do you build me up (build me up) Buttercup baby Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around"_

Watching her dance Ron felt his head spin, she was so beautiful, so happy, so carefree. He had never seen anything so enchanting in his life and despite everything he had said and done she was still here by his side. As she came to the end of the song she stumbled and he caught her arm. Looking down at her smiling face he felt his heart might burst.

"I don't know how you do it. I don't know how I would have carried on without you."

Padma laughed lightly and squeezed his hand. "What did I do? I only ever played chess with you."

Her smile faded and her face took on a more serious expression as she tried to find the words she needed. "I don't know about deserving the very best but if I was asked I would say that the man who fits that description best is you and I know I don't deserve you." She looked sideways at him and shook her head with a smile, "I've never known what to say to you in the face of your courage, your strength."

"You always said the right thing whether you knew it or not. You've always been there even when I was obnoxious and it was hard for you too" He turned to face her and stared into her dark eyes. "Without you I would have given up a thousand times already. You, Padma Patil, are an amazing witch."

He leaned forwards so that his lips touched hers and she melted into his arms as if that had always been her place.

"Well you, Ronald Bilius Weasley, are an amazing wizard so that makes us even."

"Bah, an amazing wizard maybe but an amazing chess player certainly. If I just move my castle to F5..."

She laughed and hit him gently. "I won last time remember!"

This seemed to be hysterical to him and for a moment they stood in the centre of Hogsmeade High Street laughing at nothing and trying to catch their breath.

"You're completely ridiculous Ronald Weasley but I love you..."

It was out before she even knew what she was saying and for a moment she thought he was going to run away or argue but then stroked her hair and pulled her tightly into his arms and kissed her soundly.

Checkmate.


End file.
